Blinded by the Son
by BG.0715
Summary: The saga of the Parker Sisters continue with a non canon adapation of Season 3
1. Chapter 1

**Blinded by the Son**

**Chapter 1, Personal Sacrifice **  
**(Parker Sisters Saga continues with an non-canon adaptation of SOA Season 3 and beyond...)  
By BG & Reaper Girl  
**

_Let's try this again. Apparently teaser chapters aren't allowed by ff. and they yanked our post from earlier this week. But thank you guys so much for the outpouring of love for the new story. SO here is a small chapter to get you ready for our version of Season 3. And yes, I said OUR…Reapergirl loved us too much to stay away. She's back and writing furiously!_

XXX

As he continued his drive North, Tig took another sip of coffee from his silver travel mug. That was one of the only perks to driving a cage instead of a bike, drinking and driving. He put the mug back into the empty cup holder. He kept one hand on the wheel and propped his elbow on the driver side window sill, glancing at the truck's console.

The other holder was occupied by his new prepaid cell and if he had looked at that thing once, he had looked at it a million times. The phone was his lifeline back to Charming and thus back to Jaci. He struggled with calling her or waiting for her to call him and occasionally wondered if he was just stupid for even giving her the phone in the first place. It was a gesture, an open line of communication that seemed fitting at the time. Given everything that was going on, it seemed wrong to let a wall start building back up between them. But in the daylight of the morning, he was fairly sure he was just postponing the evitable.

He shut off the part of his brain that was infected with thoughts of Jaci. With each mile, Charming faded away literally and figuratively...he had a new task at hand that needed all of his attention, keeping Gemma safe and locked away out of sight was Priority #1 until the Club could get a grip on the murder charges she was facing. But before he could even start that task, he had to break the bad news about Abel to Vix. He had no clue how to even say those words to her and sort of regretted volunteering for the task but he owed Jaci that much. He glanced at the clock radio; he had a few more hours to practice the dreaded speech in his head.

**XXX**

Gemma slid her sunglasses off her nose and stared in half shock/ half horror at the humongous grey cinderblock building stretched out before them. "Here? We're shopping here?"

Vix turned slightly and stared at the queen of SAMCRO who was seated in the backseat of the Jeep. "We need supplies, we need to go somewhere cheap, somewhere we won't stick out..."

"Everybody blends at Walmart." Koz added his two cents to the conversation from the driver seat.

"But I need clothes and toiletries not a coffee maker or garden hose." Gemma stammered.  
"You can find everything you need at Walmart. If they don't got it, you don't need it. Besides I need to pee." Vix declared.

"You just went to piss fifteen miles ago." Koz muttered.

"Yeah well, I just downed a Double Big Gulp. Give a girl break."

Koz pulled into a parking space and killed the engine. Gemma was still staring at the building as the Son and Vix hopped out of the Jeep. He nodded towards the backseat. Vix eyed Gemma, "It's time to get real, sweetheart. You ain't got much cash on you and none of us can't hit an ATM because the Feds are likely tracking transactions. Everything you need is in that store at reasonable prices."

"I got it." Gemma grumbled and upon seeing Vix's doubtful expression, she sighed and rolled her eyes but got out of the jeep nonetheless. Vix grinned and slipped her arm thru Gemma's and led her into the Super Center as if she expected the woman to bolt at any moment.

As soon as the trio were inside, Gemma was hit by a weird combination of aromas; coffee, rubber tires, garden chemicals and nail polish. She shook her head, something was very wrong when all those things could be inhaled in the same breath. The atrocities didn't end with the smells. The freak show of customers and employees alike was nothing that Gemma had ever witnessed. She looked around; kids were everywhere, running up and down the aisles, sitting in shopping carts. Some sat quietly but most were screaming and crying, deeply entrenched in a game of emotional blackmail with their folks trying to score some loud-assed toy or oversized boxes of gummy bears.

"Women's clothing looks to be over that way. There, see the sign?" Vix pointed out. "I'll meet y'all over there in a little bit."

Koz led the way past the costume jewelry and a display of the most hideous collection of vinyl handbags on the planet. The place was more horrifying than Gemma expected. She stared at the racks of clothing in dismay, never having seen so much cheap polyester in her life. Gaudy flower prints seemed to be all the rage, some enough to raise an eyebrow or two. With a sigh, she delicately picked through a rack of cotton shirts. At $4. 99 apiece, she realized she could buy ten and only blow through half her budget but in looking closer at them she realized buying even one was buying one too many.

"What size do you wear?" Koz inquired as he flipped through a nearby rack of clothes.

"Never you mind."

He pulled a shirt off the rack, "How about this one?"

"That's hideous!"

Koz frowned. "It's a perfectly good shirt."

"Yeah, for my great grandma."

"What? You don't like my fashion sense?"

Gemma slid her gaze up and down his frame, "Eh, you're not exactly GQ material."

"Well there's a lifelong dream shot to hell." Koz mumbled as he worked his way through a rack of Capri pants. Vix approached the duo sorting through stacks of ugly clothing, Koz up-nodded at her, pulling the pants off the rack. "Well now aren't these nice? I think they're her color...you know, on that color wheel thingy."

Vix shook her head. "Those pants ain't anyone's color. You sit a chameleon on them; the poor thing would commit suicide." She glanced over at Gemma and nodded towards the far wall, "Jeans. Jeans are good."

Koz nodded, "Jeans are very utilitarian."

Vix gave him a smirk, "Utilitarian… that's an SAT word."

"You two can have a battle of wits later. Right now I think we need to get a move on." Gemma interjected. "Feels like someone's watching us."

"The eye-in-the-sky is simply there to deter shoplifters."

Gemma looked around and shook her head, "Shoplift? Good Lord! IF I was inclined to steal, I would do it from a better place than this." With another eye roll she turned around and walked towards the racks of denim. "The stitching is crooked."

Vix laughed. "You ain't paying enough for it to be straight."

Holding up a pair of jeans to her frame, Gemma glanced in the mirror. She blinked and cast the jeans aside and went in for a closer inspection of her hairline. She grimaced as she noticed her roots were beginning to show, "Oh Jesus Christ!"

Vix sidled up next to her and slipped an arm around your shoulder, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I got you covered. Maybe even do a whole makeover; top to bottom have you looking like another person completely. Hell you won't even recognize yourself, when I'm through that chick on Alias will have nothing on you." She stepped away. "Grab a couple pairs of jeans, a few tank tops and couple of shirts, whatever else you may need then meet me in health and beauty."

"I refuse to buy underwear in bulk."

"I do not blame you there. If I were you, I would think my money would be better served buying a bottle of Woolite and hand washing what I got on between wearings."  
Gemma sighed again. "Going to parade around looking like goddamn Frump Barbie."

"It'll get you through to the Calvary comes. Hopefully they'll remember to bring changes of clothes."

**XXX**

Jaci walked back into the clubhouse with Piney who had been her escort to the clinic earlier that morning. After a few hours of pain and waiting, she had a prescription for painkillers in her pocket and a cast half way up the forearm of her left hand. Her hand was a mess but nothing that six weeks or so in a cast wouldn't fix.

"Aww why'd you get it wrapped in black?" Chibs asked as he examined her cast carefully in his hands. "Now we can't sign it."

"Exactly." Jaci answered. "I can't go to work with the shit you guys would write and draw on it."

"Speaking of work, you need to call in or something, J?" Bobby asked.

"No…I had the rest of the week off. I'll have to figure something out for Monday though."

"Your boss is club friendly. I'll take care of it…see if we can't get you some medical leave of sorts."

Jaci nodded her thanks but then winced slightly. "I need to call back home to Bama."

"Eh…you think that's a good idea?" Chibs questioned. "We're trying to keep all this shite quiet.

You go tellin' your uncle you're broken and the baby's missing…nothing quiet bout that."

"I'd love to skip the call but I think we all need something from them." Jaci replied as she motioned for them to follow her down the hallway to the bunkroom she had been staying. The trio walked inside and shut the door. Jaci faced the two Sons. "Cameron's on the run with Abel and I can't imagine he's staying close; it's going to take money to chase him. And unless you guys have some major stash put back, we need everything we can get. The same goes for guns, right? I don't like to stick my nose in club business but I'm not oblivious, I'm guessing the Irish pipeline is officially closed for now, right?"

The Sons exchanged a look. Bobby nodded his head. "You're right…on both counts."

"Ok then, here we go." Jaci replied and pulled out the prepaid that Tig had given her.

Unfortunately, she had BB's prepaid number memorized. She dialed as she sat down on the middle of the bed. Chibs sat down on the bed's end with Bobby pacing around the room.

Half way across the country, BB Parker was at work, reviewing blueprints for a new building with an architect. He felt his prepaid buzzing in his pocket and grabbed it. He frowned at the number, not recognizing it. "Excuse me a sec." He ducked out of the office and into the hall. "Hello?"

"Hey BB…it's J."

BB closed his eyes dreading anything she had to say. "I said your next call to me had better be rainbows and puppies, darling. I guess we're not there yet?"

"Far from it, sorry." Jaci replied and curled her legs up Indian style. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Well hell yes I have time to…hang on." BB snapped as he ducked his head back inside his office to give marching orders to the architect. "Hey, Gabe…this is gonna take a bit. It's that second floor I got a problem with. Take a look at that." He said before he slipped back into the hallway and shut the door behind him. He headed down the hall to an empty break room. "OK…let's hear it. Tig startin' shit with you?"

"No…he's…he's actually the least of my worries right now." Jaci said quietly. She didn't mince words or try to soften the blow of her bad news, she told him the condensed story of the previous night's tragedies.

BB blew out a breath. "Fuck." He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. He sat down at a table, reeling from the news. "But you…you're ok?"

"Yeah, I had a little breakdown last night but today I'm casted up, drugged up and sitting at the corner Pissed Off and Determined."

"Wait…where's your sister in all this? She was off taking a test? Where's she now?" BB asked and received only silence in response. He pressed harder. "Jaci…your sister…where IS she?"

"Vix is…in the wind. I don't exactly know where but she's with Gemma and a Son from Tacoma."

"Fuckin' fantastic, Johnny law got Gemma on the run and your lil'sister is aiding and abetting a federal fugitive." BB mused. "Why am I not surprised? Ok, J…you've dropped the bad news bombs…what do you need to fix it all? You name it, you got it."

"Well first off, I…we need money to chase down Abel. I need you to talk to Dean. Tell him I need to dip into the Life or Death Contingency Plan. Get my ten grand at least, see if he can spot me five more and I'll get it back to him when I can."

"He'll spot it with a goddamn smile on his face." BB snapped. He never had understood the arrangement between Jaci and her ex fiancée. They had flipped a few houses together when they were dating. When the big breakup had come, they had split the earnings accordingly but Jaci had left her money in Dean's account and thus his hands. It was an odd move for a woman that was usually so financially smart.

"The club needs some things too. I'm gonna let you talk to Bobby. Just get to working on everything and we'll get back together to figure out logistics. Not like we can wire or mail this stuff." Jaci stood and looked down at her cast. "I'm sorry to ask for all of this. I owe you one."

BB audibly scoffed, "You don't owe me shit, ever, J. Just get through this mess, get the boy back and then move your ass back home, you hear me? I want you and Vix both back down here but she's got an old man to deal with, you don't. I'll work on wearing her down later. Promise me you will get the hell out of that town."

"I will…I promise…as soon as I can." J answered without hesitation. "Ok, here's Bobby. Thank you." She handed the phone to her friend and walked out of the room. Chibs followed her into the hall. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her torso, "I'll be glad when I can stop retelling all that shit."

Chibs wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Aye, I know, luv." He frowned, fuzzy about the situation between her and her ex back in Bama. "So why does your ex have your money? Shouldn't you have your hands on it?"

Jaci shrugged, "We both had decided to let it be life or death emergency only money. I didn't plan on ever using it. Figured it was fine to sit in the bank with his stash, earning interest, use it as a retirement fund maybe one day. I never had to worry about him messing with it. My half's insured by the FDIC of Trace Cope; Dean ever cheated me on the money, his uncle would beat his ass until every penny was returned."

"You think he'll pony up the extra five?"

"Yeah…Dean's a daddy now, has a young son. He'll feel our pain."

Bobby walked out of the bunkroom a few minutes later and handed the phone to Jaci. "We're all set. Money and all extra items should be ready in a few days."

"Good." Jaci replied. "Now what?"

"Funeral planning I guess. Goddamnit." Chibs grumbled and walked down the hall, Jaci in tow.

**XXX**

Koz pulled the Jeep into the stone lot of a roadside motel and Vix and Gemma took in their surroundings.

"Rouge River Motel." Vix read the sign.

He killed the engine outside the office and glanced at his passengers, "Well ladies, welcome to Home Sweet Motel."

"It's a shit hole." Gemma scoffed.  
Koz nodded, "But it's a club friendly shit hole and believe me, darling, it could be worse. You'll be safe here."

Gemma heaved a resigned sigh, "Fugitives can't be choosers."

"I'm gonna go talk to the manager. You two cool your heels here, a'ight?"

The girls nodded their compliance and two sets of eyes watched the Tacoma SAA disappear into the building . Vix reached out and flipped on the radio, catching the tail end of a bluesy, folksy kind of song...

_"Lord have mercy on me,  
For all the things I've done...  
I've lost my mind...  
My eyes were blinded by the Son...  
Don't forsake me Lord,  
I'm not the only one...  
I've lost my mind...  
My eyes were blinded by the Son..._

Now, Grandma's got an Uzi and it weighs a ton...  
And Johnny Law got her on the run...  
Another broken bottle and the damage done...  
We've all been blinded by the Son...  
BLINDED BY THE SON! "

~song by Everlast


	2. Chapter 2

**Blinded by the Son**

**Chapter 2: Riddled **

**(Parker Sisters Saga continues with a non-canon adaptation of SOA Season 3) **

**By BG & Reaper Girl**

_**One of our favorite readers, Blonde, had a question as to why Kozik was listed as a character for this story in addition to Tig and Juice. Well truth is that we LOVE Kozik and felt he was one of the few things RIGHT about Season 3 so he will have an expanded role in our version. We listed him as a character so that other fans of Koz might enjoy a bit more of him!**_

**XXX**

As he cut a path across the parking lot, headed for the unit labeled 'OFFICE', Tommy Kozik let his mind's eye soak in his surroundings.. lay of the land, location of his charges, possible threats, knowledge of escape routes, tactical awareness. He was aware of everything, all five senses were always functioning, the ex-Marine in him was never fully dormant. As he walked, he pulled out the TRAC phone he'd bought at Wal-Mart and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"You got five seconds to identify yourself." The voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Hey, no names. You know who this is?" Koz replied, hoping like hell that the connection was clear enough that Fletch Edwards, a friend in the Rouge River charter of the Sons, could recognize his voice.

"Yeah I know who this is... been quite a while."

"Too long. Hey listen, _Mr. President_ still into you guys for few?" When he received an affirmative grunt, Koz continued, "Good, I need you and a couple of others to meet me at _The White House."_

"Is that so? I was just on my way out the door… hot date."

"Look you can get laid another time, alright? I NEED you guys, _Mother'll_ thank you."

"Alright...take us a few. What's the dress code?"

"To the nines would be nice."

"See ya soon."

The connection ended and Koz pushed through the door to the office only to be met by an empty room. As he eyed the lit neon "OPEN" sign, he heard a toilet flush and then later the opening and closing of a door followed by footfalls. Coming from somewhere in the back, the manager finally emerged. He had a sleazy, pervy look to him. His face was sharp and weasel-like and he wore dark rimmed pointed glasses that were trying entirely too hard to be stylish. Dirty dishwater blonde curls hung on his forehead, poorly hiding skin that was in desperate need of a Noxema wipe. He looked like the type of guy that would turn out to be the registered sex offender in your neighbor. Koz hated everything about him, even his skinny tall frame.

The manager seemed to be eyeing up the biker as well and noticed his cut. "Ahh, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? I suppose you're needing a room?"

"Wouldn't be here if I wasn't. A friend recommended this place. What's your name again? Lincoln? Jefferson? Something presidential..."

"Carter."

Koz nodded, "Yeah that's right, Jimmy Carter."

"James." The manager corrected.

"Yeah whatever but I know for a fact you owe Fletch and Trucker and my Boys from Rouge River a shit ton of favors."

"Do I, now?"

"Yeah, you like Five-Card but _liking it_ and _being good at it_ are sometimes worlds apart. But I'm guessin' you know that as well. Rogue River is calling in a couple of those favors; need two rooms."

"Sssuuuurrreee. Take your pick; we seem to have numerous vacancies." The manager swept his hand in the direction of the bank of keys corresponding to the various available units.

The sarcastic edge to his voice irritated the biker. Koz took stock of the available rooms. "Six and Four."

"We'll need names for the registry. State-mandated…'fraid it's the law."

"Ginger and Maryanne " Koz fired back.

Rolling his eyes, James typed hastily into the computer on the counter. "Make, model and license plate of your vehicle?"

"That info state mandated, too?"

"No."

"We walked."

"Any idea how long you'll be gracing us with your presence?"

"As long as it takes."

Turning around, James pulled the keys for units 4 and 6 from the peg board and slapped them down on the counter, "Complementary breakfast is not provided but there's a deli just down the road. The coffee is atrocious but the muffins aren't bad."

Koz took the keys off the counter and pocketed them as he started walking backwards towards the door. He shot the manager a grin, "Oh and a couple of guys you may know probably be joining the party…just an FYI."

"Oh goody. I can only imagine how busy poor Maryanne and Ginger will likely be."

Koz leveled a glare and pointed a finger at the clerk, "Better check that attitude, Jimmy."

Pushing through the door and back out into the night, he rolled his shoulders to relieve some of the tension as he walked to the jeep.

**XXX**

Dawn's early light was approaching. The sky was the color of polished steel as Tig approached the entrance of the third and last of the possible locations he knew of that would fit the crazy ass, Mother Goose, bullshit clues Vix Parker had rambled off over the phone. If he didn't find the wayward trio here, they'd all be forced to regroup go back to square one, pick apart the riddle and that would cost them precious time and resources and both those things were short supply.

As he turned into the lot of the low budget roadside motel, the headlights of the pick-up shined upon Vix's Jeep and three Harleys. Tig let go of breath he hadn't realized he'd pent up and his eyes scanned the area. He noted that his arrival had brought a group of men to their feet. He watched as three men sporting cuts bearing Oregon bottom rockers and Kozik came to attention in an almost synchronized fashion.

Tig stopped the pick- up and chuckled with feigned amusement as he called out his rolled down window, "Well, what do we have here? If it isn't Goldilocks and the three Bears."

Koz rolled his eyes, "You take the scenic route on purpose or did you get lost, Tiggy?"

Slamming the gearshift up into park, Tig started to jump out of the cab when Clay's stern warning echoed in his head, _Like two ships passing in the night. No goddamn crashing. No opening fire. Pass with no contact. _He forced himself to amble out of the truck and instead took a calming breath as he eyed Kozik. "Little bit of both, the directions were clear as goddamn mud."

"What you expect us to do, Tiggy? Give you and whoever else may have been listening the address and GPS coordinates?" Koz retorted. The three Rouge River Sons watched the two SAA's cautiously.

"Where are the girls?" Tig questioned. "Gemma alright? What about Vix? "

Koz nodded. "Yeah they're both good, considering. Gemma is the number six, Vix is in 4."

Tig nodded in return and finally allowed himself to relax a fraction of a degree. He turned his attention momentarily to greeting his Oregon brothers, "Thanks for coming, man. Thanks for helping us out on this one. Charming is grateful."

After receiving a chorus of reassurances and _glad-to-do-it's_, Tig nodded at his rival. "Need to talk to Vix, outta earshot of Gemma."

Not sure of what exactly was going on, Koz nodded cautiously.

**XXX**

Kozik glanced hesitantly at the door affixed with a fake brass number six. Thankfully the heavy motel blackout drapes were still pulled closed. He turned and faced unit number four, raised his hand and rapped on the door. At his third knock he noticed the drapes rustle. "Tink, it's me...open up."

A few seconds later he heard the sound of the security chain being unhooked and locks turning. The door opened to reveal Vix Parker clad in her clothes from yesterday, looking less than refreshed.

"Morning, you get any sleep?"

She squinted against the morning light that was beginning to shine brightly behind him, "Not much. Why? What's…"

Kozik sidestepped and Vix's gaze landed on the back of a man standing across the parking lot. He wasn't wearing a cut but rather some non-descript black jacket with a Reaper insignia. Vix eyed the jacket with a kind of WTF? look. A random thought danced in her head, the jacket resembled one of those Members Only jackets from the 80s. The hair, stance, and build of the person were completely recognizable though. "Tig?" She eyed Kozik. "SAMCRO made it?"

Koz nodded but with a reluctant sigh stepped closer to her, "He needs to talk to you."

He watched her tense up but nod her head, "Ok." She receded into the room and Kozik whistled to get Tig's attention. Tig turned slightly, glanced over his shoulder and saw the open doorway framing Vix Parker.

**XXX**

Tig eyed the open door with a twinge of trepidation. He still wasn't sure how Vix was going to react to the news of Abel's abduction, of Jaci 's injuries and of the Prospect's death. Tig would have bet good money on either of her sister's reactions. Wendy'd go on a bender and Jaci would ..err..._had_ a meltdown but once the fire went out of her, she'd mold herself back into something rock solid, something formidable and turn analytical, trying to mentally piece together the puzzle of how to get her nephew back. Vix was always a wild card. Her action, reaction, attitude... Hell, even her hairstyle and wardrobe were a crapshoot.

He turned towards Fletcher Edwards, "Look, I got to talk to Juice's ol' lady and Kozik. Give them the lowdown, get 'em back on the road to Charming."

"No problem, we'll give you heads up if anything changes out here."

" 'Preciate that." Tig eyed Kozik as he approached and nodded for him to go inside as well. Tig stopped at the threshold, closed his eyes, breathed deep and psyched himself up, finally stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him.

**XXX**

Inside the room, Vix sat at the foot end of an unmade bed. Kozik stood with arms crossed over his chest midway across the room. Tig watched the Tacoma biker eye his charge worriedly. "Hey Vix, how you holding up?" He asked.

She slowly turned her head in his direction, "I know you ain't got no good news to deliver, Tigger." She blew out a breath, cleared her throat and looked up at him, "It's Juice ain't it?" Her voice cracked just saying her man's name, tears already burning in her eyes "If it's him I'd ... I'd just prefer if you go ahead and shoot me."

A shuffling of feet caused Tig to glance over at Kozik. The Tacoma Son was glaring him and Koz blew out a breath in anticipation, "Come on, man."

Tig glanced at Vix. "Your ol' man is fine." He turned his attention back to Kozik, fucker was making him antsy. "You got a problem?"

Before Koz could reply, Vix bolted to her feet, "It's my sister?"

"Kinda. Yeah she's part it...sit down."

Vix complied; well she more like crumbled and slumped back down onto the bed. Tig stepped back and sat on the edge of the dresser, "Jaci is banged up pretty bad... um...she was hurt trying to stop The Irish from taking Abel."

He watched Vix's head pop up; her expression was one of wild non-comprehension.

"Someone tried to take Abel?" Kozik questioned, interrupting.

Tig turned towards him. "NO…they didn't TRY, they DID."

Vix's sharp intake of breath snapped both men's attention back to her. "Abel's..."

Tig nodded, "Yes he is... I... there's no easy way to break this. But we are going to get him back. Juice is tracking down every... every lead. Everybody is out looking for Abel."

"Oh my God." Vix muttered, visibly shaken. "How? Why?"

"I'm sorry." Tig said. "I need you to listen to me ... I need to ask you. No. I need to TELL you… that…that woman two doors down, she can't know about this. She needs to just stay clear of Charming. Keep under the radar until we can get this federal bullshit worked out and... and news of this... no force on Earth could keep her away."

He sighed and gave them the highlight reel of what went down in Charming. When he finished, he looked at Vix. She was rocking in her seated position, her face was clouded over and her eyes... her eyes were two different goddamn colors. _What the hell_? Tig looked again, actually leaning forward and squinting for a better view. "Did you lose a contact or something?" He pointed at her face, "Your eyes..." He watched Vix blink as Kozik scoffed.

"You come here to tell me my sister's hurt, my nephew is kidnapped and you're concerned that my eyes don't match?" She asked with incredulous irritation. A startled Kozik glanced at her and noted she did in fact have one green eye and one blue.

"Sorry, that shit's distracting." Tig mumbled. "But no I technically came to protect Gemma, relieve you two and send ya back home but Jaci thought…everybody thought it best if you knew the shit storm you were arriving back to." He watched Vix start to tremble and winced. "Listen, there's one more really shitty piece of this news." He sighed and just committed to the story. "When Cameron attacked Jaci, took Abel... he, the Prospect... he tried to stop him."

Kozik groaned, instinctually knowing what was coming. "Jesus Christ!"

"Sack?" Vix sucked in a breath.

Tig nodded and looked away, "Yeah."

She took in a choppy breath and waved a shaking hand. "I'm... I'm gonna need you two to give me a minute... please."

Tig nodded, "Yeah, no problem...but make it quick minute. I think it's best if you to roll out of here as soon as possible, preferably before any run ins with Gemma." She pushed to her feet and waved them off, disappearing into the bathroom.

Kozik stood staring daggers into the SAMCRO SAA.

Tig cocked his head and squared off against his Tacoma counterpart. "You got something you need to say, asshole? Say it now."

"You're unbelievable" Kozik replied with a shake of his head. "You lay all that shit on her and then tack on an 'oh by the way you got T -5 minutes to reel it in...suck it up and get the fuck out of here.' There are no words, man, for your complete lack of empathy and people skills. You fucking suck, Trager!"

"Are you done?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going to go gas up the truck... you're driving it. Vix can take her Jeep. How's it on gas? I need to have Fletch fill it up?"

When Koz didn't reply, Tig waved him off in annoyance. He turned towards the door, "Never mind, I'll take care of it myself. Where're the fucking keys? They in it?"

"Seriously?" Koz questioned, finally finding his voice. "You think she's gonna be in any shape to drive? We're staring at a long -ass haul. Lose the truck here; give it to Rouge River to dispose of."

Koz's comment went all over Tig and he self- righteously snapped in response, "The day you got a leg up on understanding the Parker's is the day I'll _maybe_ consider taking advice and orders from you on the matter. Until that day, we do it my way." Tig frowned with irritation, "You don't know Vix. She needs the open road, the hammer down. Be like therapy, give her hours to get a handle on this shit before she rolls into town. She's going back to a seriously fucked up situation. The drive will give her a chance to get her game face on." He pointed a finger at Koz. "What she DON'T need is your empathetic ass coddling her."

"Christ you're a prick."

"Yeah, I'm kinda gifted at it." Tig replied with a smirk then turned on his heel as he pulled the door open and stepped outside.

Koz closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Behind him he heard the shower turn on. He rolled his neck to try and relieve some of the built up tension. He walked out the door and shut it behind him, giving Vix some much needed privacy.

In the shower, Vix slid down the wall and sank down to her ass. As she pulled her knees into her chest, the sobs began.

**XXX**

Tig watched as Koz and Vix hit the road in the truck and Jeep respectively. He blew out a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Well that was fuckin' brutal." He walked back to the room that Gemma occupied and sat down in a chair across the way from it. As his pulled his pack of cigarettes from his inside jacket pocket, his fingers brushed against his pre-paid phone. He shrugged and grabbed it as well. "Why the hell not?"

He punched the second memory button and fired up a smoke as the call began ringing.

In Charming, Jaci was seated at the desk of the TM office, listening to Piney give her a crash course in the day to day inner workings of the garage. She stared at the dirty desk which was covered in miscellaneous papers and tried not to twitch. Relief rushed over her when she heard her phone ring for two reasons…Tig was calling which hopefully meant news about Vix and that would give her a break from the TM madness. "Sorry, Piney. I gotta take this." She explained as she grabbed the phone and darted outside the office.

"Hello?"

"Hey." Tig quickly blew out the smoke he was holding. "Hey…how you doin?"

"Ok." She replied quietly. "Did you find them?"

"Yeah…they're on their way back now. Be there sometime this evening."

"Did you talk to Vix?"

Tig sighed. "Yeah…it sucked but she held up good. Driving back will help. Give her time to deal."

"Ok." Jaci replied then didn't know what to say. She had been anxious to hear from him but now that the main topic was out of the way, she was stumped. It's not like they could just talk about the weather. Who gave a shit? And if she was completely honest, she was more than a little embarrassed about the complete and utter breakdown she had had in front of him the night of Abel's taking. She had been terribly weak and that was the last thing she was feeling now.

"How's the arm?"

"Ok."

He snorted. "You gonna answer OK for everything?"

"Denial is more than a river in Egypt, Tig."

He mumbled, "Ain't that the goddamn truth."

"Sorry...it's just...you have more than enough to worry about where you're at. I don't need to add to it by whining about stuff here."

"Shit, I don't have that much to worry about…mostly just gonna be hanging out in motel rooms, staying out of sight. Be bored out of my mind and wishing we were back home." He told her bluntly. "And if I didn't want to know what was going on, I wouldn't have called. So let's try again...how's your arm?"

She sighed. "It's casted but hurts like a bitch...and it smells funny. Piney and I got the bright idea to sprinkle powder in the cast so now I smell like a weird baby. Which makes me think of Abel...which you know...sucks."

"Don't be stickin' anything down in it when it starts itching. I knew a guy got to ramming a knife in his cast, itchin' was driving him crazy...dumb fucker stabbed himself, it got infected and they had to start everything all over again."

"I'll remember that."

The conversation felt one sided, like he was dragging responses out of her and he hated that. He missed their old talks that flowed without any effort but those days were long gone. Still, he didn't want her to hang up on him yet. _Come on, ask her something! Hell, stick to business shit._

"You at work right now?"

"No, I'm at the garage. I actually went and talked to my boss last night, told him I'd been in an accident, amped up the sad face which wasn't hard to do. He took one look at me and told me to take a few weeks off. I think he assumed I had a miscarriage or something too and I didn't bother to correct him. I figured Clay and the guys could use me here. Piney was just giving me the lay of the land here."

Tig smiled, knowing the office was chaotic. "You twitchin' yet?"

"Never seen so many post it notes in my life." She retorted. "Don't have time to mess with it right now though. I've got a full day of misery."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah… Chibs and I are going to clean out Kipp's apartment, box it up this morning. Then Tara and I have to go talk to the Feds this afternoon. Hale's put them off as long as he can. And then to top off the night, we have the wake."

"Damn, I hate to miss that. He was a good kid."

"I've been talking to his mom, Marti. She was fine with the club handling the arrangements. She's coming but his dad isn't. What kind of an asshole doesn't go to his own son's funeral?"

"Sack had said the guy was a dick. Guess this proves it." Tig grumbled. "What're you gonna tell Stahl and them?"

"Clay said to tell them the truth, anything that might help get Abel back so really most of that's on Tara. I'm telling Stahl I didn't see shit, I didn't hear shit. The least amount of time I'm around that bitch, the better. I can't keep my manners in check anymore."

Tig raised his eyebrows at the sudden fire in Jaci's voice. _That _was exactly what Kozik didn't understand about the Parkers. You could drop kick them with horrible shit and they might take a knee for a moment…but God help you when they got back up. He smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

"They don't give a shit about Abel. They'll just be looking for an angle on us. WE will be the ones to find Abel, not them."

"True." He replied, liking her use of _us _and _we_. He crushed his cigarette out on the pavement but before he could say anything, the door to Gemma's room opened and she stuck her head outside into the daylight. _Shit. _He stood up and gave her a small wave. "Hey…I gotta go. Take care of yourself and all that shit, ok?"

"Yeah, you too."

"See ya." Tig quickly replied and ended the call.

Jaci stared at the phone in her hand. _What the hell am I doing talking to him? _She shook her head and returned to the office to finish her garage management lesson with Piney.

**XXX**

Now that they were no longer harboring a federal fugitive, Kozik and Vix were able to give up the two-lane, back road travel in favor of the I-5. Vix used the miles of interstate to her advantage; she got her head back to straight, compartmentalized the rage/shock/grief she

was feeling with regards to the horrible events that had taken place in Charming and tried to wrap her brain around how she could be of the greatest service to those who needed her.

Every half-hour, the burner cell currently occupying her cup holder would blast to life. Koz would be "checking in". With lunchtime approaching and her coffee and bear claw a distant memory, Vix's stomach began to growl. Grabbing the pre-pay cell from her cup holder,

she hit REDIAL.

"Whaaaazzzup, Tink?"

"What do you do besides drive fast?" She inquired.

He chuckled. "Have fun."

"Bandit Two is hungry... you ride this stretch back-n-forth from Tacoma, right? You've got to know somewhere with half-way decent grub."

"What do you like to eat?"

"Tommy, so long as it doesn't move, reek or appear to be a questionable color, I will consume it."

He snorted a laugh. "Alright... exit coming up. We'll take it and bear to the right."

**XXX**

The Teacup was a Mom & Pop kind of establishment. There were very few vehicles in the parking lot, however that didn't stop Kozik from entering the place the way Doc Holliday must have entered the _OK Corral_. Grim faced, watchful... ready for anything. Vix trailed in behind him and lowered her sunglasses a bit, watching in high amusement with the knowledge that the display wasn't just for show. The Rouge River Sons, bless their hearts, had offered up a wide array of weaponry, she knew the Tacoma SAA was fully armed. And well, if Tommy got to be Doc... well, then she'd most certainly be Belle Starr.

They took a booth table, Koz sat where he could see the front door and Vix slid in across from him. Picking up the menu, she reviewed the choices and silently consulted with her stomach on what may agree or not. She nodded at the waitress who arrived to take their order, "A double

cheeseburger with all the trimmings, extra pickles, largest order of fries you offer, coleslaw and a large iced tea with lemon." She closed the menu, eyed Kozik, "And what will you be having.?"

With a smirk he ordered a duplicate of her meal, swapping out the tea for a Mountain Dew.

When the waitress left, he glanced at her, "Most chicks I know wouldn't come within ten feet of that meal, let alone consume it."

As she dumped sugar into her glass, she regarded the blonde biker, "Their loss... besides, I wasn't lyin' when I claim to be one-of-a-kind."

He nodded, shifted in the seat. "So on a serious note, you doin' a'ight? You had a lot of shit dumped on your this morning."

"I'm workin' through it."

**XXX**

Kipp had a very small apartment and an even smaller amount of personal possessions but it still took Chibs, Happy and Jaci several hours to pack it all into boxes. They were standing around in the tiny living room thinking they were finished when Happy locked eyes on unfinished business.

"Gym bag." Hap said suddenly and walked over to the side of the couch, grabbed the dark blue bag and tossed it on the ratty loveseat.

"Oh that's gonna be rank." Chibs muttered and took a step back.

"Chickenshit." Jaci mumbled and unzipped the bag. A burst of mildew and sweaty air assaulted her nose but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. She pushed through some dirty clothes and socks before she found the one thing worth probably keeping. "Toss the clothes but his gloves are in here."

"Ahh, let me see those." Chibs said quietly and pulled the black boxing gloves from the bag. He looked at them wistfully, remembering the time the Prospect was to throw a fight to win the club some much needed cash but instead went on a jealousy fueled rage and pummeled his opponent. He had spent a few weeks getting the kid in shape, only to ask him to lose. He started to recount the story but stopped when he glanced up and found Jaci staring at the gloves. "You and Sack went more than a few rounds together, huh?"

"Yeah…gave me something to do when I wasn't babysitting Wendy during rehab." Jaci smiled slightly. "To be so nice, he was a hard ass when he came to boxing. I remember doing drills so much I wouldn't be able to lift my arms the next day."

"He said you were good." Hap commented leaning against the front door.

Jaci scoffed. "He actually taught me a lot but we were just messing around."

"Naw, he told me the same thing. Said he wanted to get you a real fight but then this that or the other came up and he never got to it." Chibs said and then made a decision. He pushed the gloves in his hands toward Jaci. "Here, you take these."

"Oh no way." Jaci replied with a shake of her head. "I couldn't do that. YOU take them."

"Nope, you were the last one to spar any with him. You earned them." Chibs decreed. "Besides, he'd get a kick out of you having them, maybe using them one day."

"That won't happen." Jaci said softly and held up her broken hand. "I'm a little broken, Chibs, remember? Boxing days are over."

"Bullshit. All of us been broken at some point… we're still beating the shit out of people." Hap retorted. "You'll heal."

"Thanks, Hap." She said and then groaned. "Shit…I just realized that I never asked Marti what she wanted us to do with all of this stuff. Let me go call her, get some arrangements made."

Jaci took down the small hallway to do a last walk through of the apartment while she talked to Kipp's mother. The response she received rattled her. She ended the call and walked back to the living room.

"So we hauling, they hauling? What's the plan?" Chibs asked as he did a last check of the refrigerator in the connected tiny kitchen.

"Looks like charity is hauling." Jaci replied. "She said she didn't want any of it, that we should give it away to Goodwill or something."

"They want NOTHING?" Chibs asked, his eyes narrowing along with his brow.

Jaci shook her head. "I know, knocked me for a loop too but I told her I'd handle it. Figured I could call Ruby's church, maybe see if the battered women's shelter could use the furniture?"

Before she could say anything else, Chib rared back and front kicked the refrigerator door then punched the freezer door above it. "Fuckin' assholes!"

Jaci and Hap exchanged a concerned look. She tried to explain. "I don't know…I guess everyone grieves differently?"

"Yeah, well…their way fuckin' sucks!" Chibs yelled. "You can't do that. You can't just act like the poor bastard never fuckin' existed! First his Da won't come to the damn wake and now this shit? Fuck that!"

"I guess it _is _a lot to haul all the way back to San Fran, especially if they would just put it in the attic and never look at it." Jaci tried to cover for Marti. "Maybe she's right that it would be better if someone else gets some use out of his stuff?"

Hap was more subdued in his anger. "We ought to haul his shit to their house and burn on their goddamn front lawn."

"Fuckin' A!"

That was a scenario that definitely did NOT need to play out. Jaci waved them off, "Why don't you guys just wait downstairs. Go have a smoke, I'll finish up in here and meet you down there in a few minutes."

She gave Hap a _help me out here_ look which he recognized. "Come on, bro. Fuck this shit."

Hap led the way outside with Chibs stomping out next, slamming the door behind him.

Jaci stood in the tiny apartment for a long moment before moving. She knew Marti loved Kipp, there was no doubt of that. She really thought the harsh treatment of his belongings might be a mandate from the Prospect's father. Either way, she knew his parents were wrong. They were grieving in a different way perhaps but later, they _would_ miss their son. They would want _something_ from him. She grabbed an empty box and rummaged through the other boxes until she found some pictures, a few military awards and some personal paperwork. She paused when she came to a box of clothes. The last item she placed in the KEEP box was sure to bring Marti comfort down the line. She slammed the lid on the box and headed downstairs.

**XXX**

Tara's interview with the Feds lasted an hour. She walked out of the room and nodded to Jaci who sat with her arms crossed in a hard plastic chair awaiting her turn. Stahl stuck her head outside the door and smiled sympathetically at Jaci, "We're ready for you, Miss Parker."

Thankfully, the male agent accompanying Stahl led the interview. Jaci immediately forgot his name and told him only what she had witnessed with her own eyes, which wasn't anything more than seeing Cameron and she identified him easily via photo. Stahl was growing ansty though and finally started interrupting the conversation flow.

"Let me understand this, Miss Parker. Cameron didn't touch you, other than to get you into the trunk."

Jaci glared at her simplification. "He smashed my face, broke my hand."

"Who broke the rest of you?"

"I did….trying to get out… to protect my family."

Stahl leaned forward, suddenly interested. "I'm going to be blunt here because I think you respect that. You come out of this ordeal looking like THIS and Tara, who could have intervened and prevented your nephew's taking, comes out without a scratch. Does that bother you? Make you think she didn't try hard enough? That maybe she's a little undeserving of that term _family_ you all seem to throw around so much?"

"Well first of all, I don't respect anything about you, Agent Stahl." Jaci replied cooly. "Secondly, Tara did what she thought was best at the time. Would of I have acted differently? Maybe…but then again, that play might have gotten me laid out on the floor along with Kipp and then where would we be?"

"Where indeed." Stahl replied and pursed her lips. "One more question about that day…where oh where is little Miss Vix?"

"I don't really know." Jaci stared without emotion at the agent whom she despised completely.

"You don't _know_? Let me get this straight, last you heard from her was when she left to take her college final. That was what? Three days ago? I know she has dyslexia and all but that seems like a slightly exaggerated length of time to take a final exam." Stahl paused for effect then added, "Unless she has some more developmental problems that I'm not aware of."

"You're trying to bait me by calling my sister retarded? That's desperate." Jaci chided and rolled her eyes, "Vix is big girl, if she wants to pick now for an impromptu vacation, that's her business."

"You know who else I've noticed missing from town…your former boyfriend, Mr. Trager. Do you think there's a connection there? Maybe Vix is talking a little walk on the wild side."

Jaci couldn't help but laugh. "Oh my god. Really? You're trying for _that_ angle?" She shook her head in frustration. "That's all this was…you trying to drive a wedge where there isn't one. We've circled the wagons, Stahl. No weak points. Do you ever get tired of chasing your tail?"

"Do you ever get tired of the lies, Miss Parker?" Stahl replied. "Maybe I was reaching a bit with that last one. I just want you to understand that we want to be able to do everything possible to get your nephew back. But we can't do that if you don't tell us everything you know."

"You first." Jaci replied with a smirk. "You don't give a shit about my nephew. Yeah, you'd give him back if you tripped over him but he's not anywhere on your priority list. You've been pushing for a written statement, so I'll give you one but then I'm done. I'm tired of talking about this shit. It's a waste of time."

Stahl started to respond but the Agent beside her cut her off by sliding a form and a pen over to Jaci. She took the items and began to write, well she _tried _to begin. She hadn't really tried the task since her injuries. Taking her left casted hand, she tried to hold the paper steady with her fingertips and then focused on attempting to hold the pen correctly but with the cuts and scrapes and bruised fingers it was a lost cause.

The male agent watched her struggle and actually shot his hand out to steady the paper for her. Jaci's head snapped up and as she hit him with an icy glare, he move his hand backwards. She took a deep breath and stared at the items again. She slammed her casted arm down on the paper and then finally gripped the pen in a semi functional way, hunching over the paper like she was back in school and trying to keep her answers private. After a few minutes, she slammed down the pen, flipped the paper over and slid it to the agent. She walked out of the interview room without a word.

The Agent read the statement and rolled his eyes. He handed the document to Stahl, "I think this is for you."

Scribbled in the statement section of the form were what appeared to be verses from a song or poem. Stahl read them and smiled.

_Let this be a lesson to ya girl, don't come around where you know you don't belong  
They're riding on the avenue and probably coming after you and they all look mean and strong  
Mean and strong like liquor  
Mean and strong like fear  
Strong like the people from south Alabama and mean like the people from here  
Take from me, we ain't ever gonna change_

We ain't ever gonna change  
We ain't doing nothing wrong  
We ain't ever gonna change  
So shut your mouth and play along

**XXX**

During the last leg of their voyage Vix had lead the way. She was beginning to get twitching, antsy to be home and Koz's _drive-as-if-the-posted-speed-limit-is-a-mere-sugge stion_ philosophy wasn't fast enough for her. That was until she hit the Charming city limits.

Vix had pulled over roadside and sat her jeep staring at the sign.

_**"Welcome to Charming... Our name says it all."**_

Suddenly everything she'd been through, since that fateful day she and Jaci had ventured back to this town, came slamming into her HARD and she knew the crazy train was FAR from over. She could have sworn that she felt the impact physically as well as on all other levels and a moment later she felt bile rise up in her throat. Hurriedly, she unfastened her seatbelt, swung her door open and scrambled out of the Jeep. Crouching down she promptly vomited.

She heard the crunch of tires on the gravel as Tommy caught up and pulled the pickup truck to a stop behind the Jeep. Standing up, she waved off his questioning and reached inside the Jeep, liberating her bottle of water and package of Tic-Tacs. She swirled and spit a few mouthfuls of water then downed the rest and popped a handful of mints.

"I'm fine." She blew out a huff as she kicked some dirt and gravel over the pile of her slimy stomach contents. Daring a glance in his direction she growled, "This town." She shook her head. "Ever get a feelin' Stephen King could write a best seller 'bout it?"

Koz smirked, "Yep. Once upon a time and sometimes still, I wonder if someone shouldn't add "_**UN**_" to the fuckin' name. If this town decides it don't want you...it unleashes some Hell."

Vix stared at him. "I think I've got some spray paint in my Jeep."

After a beat he grinned, "Let's leave graffiti for another day. Get you home, hmm?"


	3. Chapter 3 Emotional Disarray

**Blinded by the Son**

**Chapter 3: Emotional Disarray**

**(Parker Sisters Saga continues with a non-canon adaptation of SOA Season 3) **

**By BG & Reaper Girl**

The wake for Kipp was quickly approaching. All SAMCRO members had arrived at the clubhouse along with Sons from other charters that had ridden to Charming to pay their respects. The plan was to meet at the clubhouse and then roll out en masse to the funeral home. Jaci stood outside, pacing and checking the time on her cell phone every few minutes. Kipp's mother, Marti, had planned to arrive early in order to get some alone time with her son before the wake officially started but now Jaci was beginning to wonder if the woman was going to show at all. Surely she was just hung up in traffic or something.

"She bailin' on him too?" Chibs asked as he joined Jaci outside and straddled one of the picnic table benches. He took a pull from a flask in his hand then tucked it away into the interior pocket of his cut.

"Shoulda been here 45 minutes ago. I tried calling, no answer." Jaci shrugged as she watched the entrance to TM. She glanced at the Scot, he was already hitting the bottle, not a good sign. She knew the Prospects death was hitting him hard but tried to steer the conversation away from the obvious. "Did you cut your hair?"

Chibs fingered his slightly shorter do. "Aye. Hacked some off when I was getting ready while a go. If your sister was here, she'da done a better job."

"Looks nice." Jaci replied but before she could say more, she spotted Marti's car pulling onto the lot. "There she is. Hey let me talk to her first, all the club stuff is going to be overwhelming: sights, sounds, strange people. Give her a minute to get her bearings." Chibs nodded and Jaci took a deep breath before heading over to meet the grieving mother.

Marti Epps stepped out of her car dressed in a very fashionable long-sleeved, knee- length coat dress in dark charcoal color with a slightly deeper hued trim. Her dark shoulder length auburn hair down pulled back from her face with some sort of pricy, antique combs.

She potted Jaci and immediately began apologizing. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I know I should have called but I was just…" Jaci instantly waved her off and Marti hung her head. "I was trying to convince Kipp's father to attend, trying to talk some sense into his fool head but he wouldn't budge." Tears stung her eyes for the hundredth time that day and Marti shook her head to try and stop them. She glanced around the parking lot at the scattering of bikes and their leather clad, all black wearing riders. "Who are all these people?"

"Sons and _Friends of_... members and associates from other charters. It's customary to attend the funeral of any fallen Brother if at all possible." Jaci explained, noticing the uneasy look on Marti's face, she stepped closer and mustered up an enthusiasm she didn't really feel. She really just walked to crawl in bed and down some pain pills but that was beside the point. "They're here out of love, they'll want to pay their respects to you but you don't have to talk to them. You call the shots tonight, anything that makes you uncomfortable, you just let me know and I'll head it off. At the wake, we can be in the middle of everything or stay tucked away. I'll be by your side for the whole night, Marti."

"Thank you." Marti whispered and grasped Jaci's "good hand". She took a moment to really look the young woman over and frowned. "Your hand, face…did all that happen when Kipp was…" Her voice trailed off before she could say '_killed_'.

Jaci gave her a slight nod. "It …it was a rough day for a lot of people. But don't focus on that, just think of him as you knew him…loveable goofball." That description actually got a subdued snort of laughter from Marti and Jaci was grateful for it. "Wait right here…I've got something for you."

She walked quickly back to the picnic table to retrieve the box of Kipp's belongings, telling Chibs to sit tight, Marti wasn't quite ready for direct club interaction. She managed to carry the box back to Marti's car, although awkwardly. "I know you said you didn't want anything from Kipp's place but I think you should at least have this stuff. There are some military papers and awards, some pictures and this…"

She sat the box on the ground, opened it and pulled out the gift for Marti, one of Half Sack's token plaid shirts. Jaci explained the importance, "Most of the guys around here aren't real fashion forward, sport mostly t-shirts and if you do get them in a collared shirt, its black or blue. Kipp caught so much hell for wearing these shirts. I think the term '_Rhinestone Cowboy_' was used more than once. He had a whole closet of them, but I know this one was his favorite. I thought you might want it…keep it, wear it even, keep him close to you."

Marti smiled and choked up at the same time as she grasped the shirt. The gesture was overwhelmingly thoughtful and she was grateful that Jaci had ignored her cold wishes of tossing all of her son's things. Those weren't her wishes anyway, they were her husband's. She reached and grabbed Jaci, hugging her fiercely. It was so good to have someone that understood her grief and was supporting it. "Thank you for this. My husband…he won't approve but he can kiss my ass. He doesn't have to know where this came from, I'll wear it any damn time I want."

XXX

Juice sat at the bar inside the SAMCRO club house trying to track down any information on Cameron Hayes -AKA -Timothy O' Dell, which they'd learned was an alias the Irish kidnapper had used to get a passport and a travel Visa. Every so often he'd glance at the bank of security camera feeds. He had watched Jaci talking to Half Sack's mother for a while. He wanted to say something to the woman but didn't know what…she was going to hear the stock _'sorry for your loss'_ a million times tonight so he just stayed clear for now. He leaned back and stretched, rubbing his tired eyes. Suddenly he spotted Vix's Jeep roll onto the lot via camera. He blinked to make sure the image was real then slammed the laptop slammed shut and shot to his feet in an instant then he paused to close his eyes and send up a heartfelt 'thank you' to The Man Upstairs for bringing them back home safe.

XXX

Once Marti had put Kipp's box of belonging in her car, Jaci led her over to Chibs and Bobby as a way to test the waters when it came to Sons and the grieving mother meeting. They kept the condolences very light and stuck to telling a few funny stories about their Prospect which Marti seemed to enjoy. Jaci was listening to them rag on his vegetarian tendencies when suddenly Vix and Kozik made their entrance onto the lot. She quickly muttered, "excuse me a minute" and went walking as fast as her sore ankle and cut feet would carry her to her sister's side.

Vix exited the Jeep and shut the door, keeping her eyes on her older sister the whole time. She stood in front of her and looked her over, taking in every detail of her sister's appearance. Her eyes locked on the black cast on Jaci's left hand. "Tig said you were banged up, he left out the broken part." Vix held both of her sister's hands lightly, but clenched her jaw. "Damn, J, your fingers look like they went through a paper shredder."

"It's not as bad as it looks. I'm ok." Jaci lied and pulled her sister into a hug. "Glad your back, sis, been worried about you."

Vix returned the hug and then pulled away. "Oh I'm back and we shall handle all this shit together, just like always."

At that moment, Tara walked by the Parker sisters, having just arrived for the wake procession and was heading toward the clubhouse. Vix eyed the doctor intently, taking note that _unlike_ her sister, the good doctor who had been involved in the same horrible scene, didn't have so much as a scratch on her.

Tara saw the intense look from the youngest Parker sister and knew immediately what she was thinking and she didn't have time for that wrath of shit. She tossed up a bitchy hand as if to say _don't go there _and kept walking. "Spare me the _what bad ass Vix Parker woulda done_ speech."

Vix took a step to block the doctor's path.

"Fine. Enlighten me." Tara huffed.

Kozik left the side of the Jeep and took a step in his former charge's direction, "Hey, Tink come on... let's find your ol' man, let him know you're back."

"Yeah we'll do that in just a minute." Vix nodded still staring down the doctor. "I would've protected my family."

Tara raised her eyebrows hating how everyone was a Sunday morning quarterback with this situation. "Yeah? And how would that have turned out for you?"

"I guess I'd be a pine box headed for a slow train back to 'Bama or sitting in a jail cell with murder charges pending hoping my attorney knew his ass from a hole in the ground and the difference between self-defense and heat-of-the-moment." Vix spat. "What I _wouldn't_ be doing is standing here in the parking lot with nary a scratch, hell not even a broken nail."

"Yeah and if you bled out on the floor right next to 'Sack, Abel would still be gone."

Vix shook her head. "One of him against two of us, divide and conquer. He may have gotten one of us but not both, not 'fore the other got him. And then that precious little baby would still be here."

"But what in the off chance that he took both of you out? Abel would still be gone, with no one to tell any of the details."

Jaci just stared as the two women squared off in front of her. _Before Trunk Jaci_ would have already broken up the argument and made sure everyone said they were sorry and made up but _Post Trunk Jaci_ wasn't so amicable. These days, Jaci found it hard to really care about anything and she had learned the hard way that being nice and doing what was right got you nowhere in life. So she was just going stand down and let Vix say her piece, after all her sister was saying everything Jaci herself had been thinking since the night Abel had been taken. It was actually nice to hear it aloud instead of just knowing it was in everyone's head.

"You bet your actions on _off chances_?" Vix questioned, her voice raised. "You let them take Abel so you could stay around and give a detailed description of what happened?! So now you're freezing up was a _strategy_?

Tara raised her chin slightly higher. "I did all that I could do...you have no idea what's at stake."

"Abel's what was at stake. Finding him, getting him back STILL IS! NOTHING trumps protecting your family." Vix hissed. "If he was your blood that you'd realize that."

Tara's hand shot out and slapped Vix across the face. It was the slap heard around the world or at the very least the entire compound. Everyone who'd been watching the verbal warfare found themselves a bit dumbstruck at the escalation in the situation.

Jaci didn't like the slap from Tara but she still didn't make a move to stop anything. Honestly, a part of her was waiting on an answering punch from Vix. She would have done it herself but she was in no shape to hit anything besides a bottle these days.

Vix slowly turned her head back to face Tara and she eyed Jax's ol' lady up and down with a sardonic grin, actually laughing as an angry red handprint quickly rose on her cheek. Before she could make a move in rebuttal, she heard her name yelled across the parking lot.

"VIX!" Jax shouted as he and Juice came marching across the lot with determined long strides. The SAMCRO VP stepped between the two women. "Enough!" He barked at Tara and then turned to face off against his sister-in-law. "Cool your shit!"

"She blames me... everyone does." Tara eyed Jax. "Even you."

He eyed the Parkers, Juice and Tara then proclaimed, "Tara made what she thought was the right move. It may not be what you would've done put in the same situation but the _would've, could've, should'ves_ aren't going change what happened. That shit ends now!" He cast a pointed stare at the youngest Parker sister.

As Juice pulled Vix back slightly, she held up her hands in a surrendering style but added, "Fine but if you're ol' lady lays a hand on me again I will level her ass, that's a promise. She wants to act bad ass when it's convenient for her. She wants respect…well that shit is earned and it goes both ways."

"You done?" Jax asked in exasperation.

"I think so."

Jax rolled his eyes but let the follow up threat go. He'd seen the wreckage Tara had left behind in Abel's nursery, knew she was a bit of a loose cannon at the moment, they all were. His tone softened slightly, "Go get some ice for your face."

Vix waved him off, "She hits like a girl."

"Lucky for you." Jax spat and headed off back toward the clubhouse. Jaci fell in step with him, heading back to be with Marti. He glanced sideways at Jaci. "Why the hell didn't you break that shit up? You just stood there and watched for Christ's sake."

Jaci shrugged. "Shit has to be said, may not be pretty but you have to say it before you can get right. Sometimes you just have to let the crazy out."

XXX

Juice wrapped Vix up in a tight hug as he watched Jaci go attend to Mrs. Epps and Jax and Tara disappear into the club house. "You alright?"

"Physically yeah... can't really speak for the other levels. Christ, all of it really did happen, huh? I was kinda praying I was being PUNK'd."

He noticed Kozik was standing nearby. Stepping away from Vix slightly, he nodded at the Tacoma SAA.

Koz nodded back "And the hand-off is complete." He chuckled then winced as he eyed the swelling of Vix's cheek. "Got her _home_ safe and sound."

"Thank you for that... it means a lot... you have no idea. I'm glad you were with her otherwise this woulda turned into _Thelma and Louise_ or something."

Vix found herself laughing, inappropriate as it may have sounded given the dark events and somber mood. "Awe Juicy, are you forgettin' there was a guy travelin' with them, too. Ol' Tommy here coulda been our Brad Pitt."

Juice shook his head, "I was thinking strictly about the possibility of you two trying to jump the Grand Canyon in your Jeep."

With an amused chuckle, Koz up-nodded at them, "Take care, Tink."

Vix winked, extended her hand for a shake. "It's been real, Tommy."

Juice felt Vix lean back against him and he pressed a kiss to her temple. "Your sister brought you a change of clothes." He felt her nod, heard her sigh.

Glancing around at the number of people milling about and knowing that when she'd left they were on lock down, she asked, "There a free dorm? I need somewhere I can wash up, change, get ready?"

"I can make that happen." Juice replied. "Come on."

**XXX**

Vix parked her Jeep in the lot of the funeral home. Exiting the vehicle she made her way towards the building. Jaci spotted Vix amid those gathered to pay their respects; a sea of Marines in fatigues and those in dress uniform there to perform military honors for the fallen veteran, townsfolk, club members and associates from various charters along with the Charming PD.

As Vix closed the distance, she commented, "Dumbrowski's? Christ ! Seriously? You've got to be kidding me."

Jaci eyed her little sister, who was looking considerably paler. "Don't go there, sis." Admittedly she didn't want to be here either, too many damn memories including ghosts of parents passed.

The rumble of a large contingent of Harleys grew louder so Vix raised her voice to be heard, "Coulda at least used Cantelmi or Longs."

"I wasn't the shot caller... I only helped Piney but I do know Longs was busy and Cantelmi was less than enthusiastic to offer services. They seem to recall a verbal altercation and threat of physical violence over dress codes of the dearly departed." She eyed her sister, referring to drama during Donna's service planning.

"Don't look at me like that, you weren't there." Vix scoffed then blew out a forceful breath. "I am getting real damn sick of burying people."

"You and me both, sweetheart." Jaci glanced at the open doors of the funeral home. In the vestibule she spotted Marti Epps standing alone as a small knot of Kipps' armed forces comrades finished offering their condolences. "Shit. I promised not to wander far."

Vix glanced in the direction of her sister's stare and started walking. "Yeah, I think this crowd is a bit more colorful than Mama 'Sack is used to, bless her heart."

"She just lost her son, have some respect." Jaci hissed. "And for the love of God, don't call her that."

"I think she LOST him a long time before now." Vix retorted with an eyeroll. "But she has my deepest sympathies. Loss is loss regardless of how long or what it takes to finally make that hit home." She grimaced and made quick dashes at the tears brimming in her eyes, exasperated at her show of emotion. "This shit sucks, man."

Jaci stepped back towards her sister and hugged her, "I know it does... it'll be alright." She made sure she had her sister's attention and her point was clear. "We can't undo what's been done. All we can do is …"

Juice and a flow of Redwood Sons interrupted the moment but Vix nodded at her sister, even as she was being drawn to Her ol' man's side. "I get it... I know... r_ally 'round the family with a pocket fulla shells_."

Jaci nodded her agreement even though that wasn't exactly what she was going to say but damn close. Leave it to Vix, that would be HER way of HELPING. She turned and walked quickly towards Marti and took up residence at her side accepting condolences and sympathies for the Clubs' loss as Marti accepted the same for the loss of family.

The bikers seemed to approve Vix's message and voiced said acceptance. Juice hugged her tighter and kissed her cheek baring a nasty welt from Tara's back hand. Jax stepped up, hugging her as well."

"Earlier..."

Vix waved her brother in law off, "Forgotten."

Jax nodded and smiled slightly as he moved along. Clay, in a rare show of affection, stepped up and hugged Vix. "I appreciate what you did." He pulled away. "We all appreciate ALL you and your sister do for this this club, for the family. Never thought I'd say this but, I'm glad you're here. We need you."

"You got us."

He backed away. "Counting on that."

The rest of the crew gave Vix embraces, some more sentimental than others. Chibs seemed exceedingly lost and the dam Vix had erected to staunch her own out of control emotions threatened to burst. Thankfully Bobby ushered the Scotsman along. She blew out a breath and eyed Juice.

He steered them off to a quiet-ish corner and in a hushed tone inquired ,"How you holdin up?"

"I'm ok. I'd could seriously use a goddamn Ginger Ale. It's the only thing keeps the nauseous-ness at bay". She watched him grimace, "I'm sorry, I'm fine... I hate this place." She up-nodded at the building. "They handled my folks' shit but I guess one place has the same soundtrack of misery music, the same disgusting, overkill flowery death scent as the next, huh?'

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, baby, last thing I need to be doin' is pissing and moaning about the inconsequential, right? What the hell are extreme exhaustion and 24 hour nausea…there's a mother in there set to bury her son tomorrow. The club is in there trying to deal with the loss of a brother and Abel is missing." She gasped. "Oh, God, there are so many holes, Jean."

"Easy. Come on." He soothed. "I'm sorry you're feeling awful. This shit is hard for anyone to handle even without what else you... what WE got going on. Alright? Relax. Let's go pay our respects, offer our condolences and then I'll find an excuse to get you and me the hell outta here. OK?"

"Yeah." She nodded and dug deep for some composure. "Sorry about that."

He grinned, "You ain't got nothing to be sorry for." He stole a kiss before taking her hand and leading her back nto the line leading inside the funeral home. "Quite a turn out, huh?"

She eyed the crowd, noticing that even Jacob Hale had found reason to attend. She leaned closer into his embrace, "I love you."

She felt him smile against her temple, "I love you too".

XXX

The procession to the wake and the showing at the funeral home was overwhelming but beautiful at the same time for Marti. It was shocking to the see the number of people that had come out to remember her son. She had planned on staying isolated from the club members, intent on blaming that life style for taking her son but if she were to stay true to Kipp's memory and wishes, the club was what had made him _happy_.

For his sake, she had forced herself to engage with the other SONS and she found she was glad she did, even though Jaci had reminded her several times that she didn't have to do anything she didn't feel 100% comfortable with. The military men were all respectful as would be expected but the surprising thing had been just how loving the bikers were to her. All of Kipp's home charter members had embraced her, gave their condolences and most had told her a personal remembrance about the guy they knew as _Half Sack_. She would never get used to hearing her baby boy called by that moniker but she knew it was a term of endearment by the guys.

As word spread throughout the funeral home about her identity, other charter members made their way to her as well. Their interaction was less personal but just as respectful and heartfelt. Wakes were about a person's life just as much as their death and if she pushed aside her anger and grief for a moment, she could see why Kipp wanted to be in this world of bikes and vests called _cuts_. In the end, no matter how scary or burly the men looked in their black leather and tattoos, they were just people and evidently they had lovingly accepted her son.

XXX

Standing off to one side of the main room, Kozik muttered, "I hate this shit."

Several heads nodded in agreement. Vix sighed, "At least we're up here North of the Bible Belt." As the confused looks began to multiply, she explained, "Ever heard of _sitting up with the dead_?" That ain't just an expression in the South. You drink copious amounts of the alcohol choice of the dearly departed and literally sit up all night keeping the corpse company until burial time comes."

Opie and Lyla looked completely ill at ease. Juice looked dumbfounded while Kozik's face wore a skeptical frown. Hap looked confused and his deep gravelly voice broke the awkward silence asking, "Where do they think the body's gonna go?"

Any response Vix had was cut off with the arrival of Bobby, "The funeral director man wants someone to say a few words. Not sure who's the best for this job." He sighed, "I've been knockin' 'em back since well before noon, Chibs he ain't in no great form, Jaci is glued to Mother Sack's side. Jax isn't in any condition to be talking about lost sons and I figured the same for Clay. Any of you all feelin' verbose?"

Vix eyed those around her and found they'd all sprung convenient fascinations with their boots. She nodded, blew out a breath. "Knew somehow that public speaking class was gonna pay for itself. I got this but I'm gonna need a minute."

Bobby nodded and offered a small thanking smile, "Take all the time you need…just make it snappy."

She rolled her eyes and excused herself to go gather her thoughts. As the group watched her walk away, Bobby asked Juice, "You think she's gonna skip out ?"

"I would." Opie muttered.

Juice shifted from one foot to the other, "Nah. She'll be great."

XXX

"I've been asked to say a few words 'bout Kipp." Vix exhaled as she glanced at the black SOA coffin topped with the Cut and framed military photo of the newest Son. "I was kinda put on the spot here but that doesn't mean I ain't glad to speak about him. Kipp was a great guy; fun-loving and thoughtful… loyal and protective. He loved this club family. I was really moved that he was post… um… post." She blew out a breath, "Well that he earned his full patch. He woulda been very proud."

"On a personal level, I know Kipp was a very caring person. He loved hanging out with my sister and I watchin' MMA and movie marathons. He'd shadow me on runs, boxed with Jaci. He was always ready to help, too…from a leaky water heater to, this one time when Spawn…."

She took a quick breath in, "Um, my dog, he'd run away. His leash broke and I was pretty hysterical so Kipp and I rode down every street in this friggin' town, only to get back to the house and find the pup zonked out on the front porch." Her eyes swept the captive audience – "Oh Lord I'm ramblin', we Southerners love to do that." She gave an embarrassed/nervous chuckle but continued on, "There was the funny side of Kipp, there was also the do-gooder side, vegetarian… save the Earth… donate to charitable causes. He helped Juice and I out over at St. Barnabus, he'd call the BINGO numbers on Thursdays when we couldn't, he was always around to be lend a hand."

"Just a minute ago when I was trying to figure out what to say… how to narrow down a life to a highlight's reel, the memory of a time popped into my head, for the second time today actually. I had this assignment to take a poem or a song and break it down, find meaning and look behind the lyrics or the prose. I love music so the choices were _vast_ and I was quickly losing focus… so to the rescue came Kipp. His favorite song is a country song, no small surprise for the Rhinestone Cowboy."

She added her small laugh to the sound of chuckling that came from the peanut gallery. "It's kinda a sad song but also a hopeful song, very realistic. Kipp said it reminded him in parts about a lot of people he'd met, choices he'd made, things he'd done or didn't do that made him happy or made him sad when he thought back on the memories when listening to it. Well, honest to Christ…" She winced and blushed a bit at the gasps and the chuckles from those listening, "Sorry… but a little while after I'd heard 'bout Kipp's passing, that very song came on the radio. It made me smile and cry at the same time and I feel like reciting the lyrics, poetry slam style, right now. "It's a song by Joe Diffie called Ships That Don't Come in." She cleared her throat and began the recital,

"_I could tell he'd had a tough life by the way he sat and stared._

_And me, I'd come to push and shove so I pulled up a chair..."_

Vix's gaze landed on Chibs'. Sack had made her privy to the fact that he had met the Scotsman, his sponsor, after an illegal boxing match being held at an even more illegal bar.

_"We talked of roads untraveled, we talked of love untrue…"_

She glanced at Juice, found him watching her intently. She knew Kipp had meant well all those months ago, that felt like eons, when he'd wrongly accused her of cheating on Juice. She'd forgiven him – eventually and Sack assured he'd learned a valuable lesson.

"_Of strings that come unraveled. We were kings and kindred fools."_

She took in all of the Sons, from the various charters… that line DID fit them all.

_"And just when I'd hit bottom…That old man raised his glass  
And said at least we had our chances… There's those who never have.  
So here's to all the soldiers…Who have ever died in vain  
The insane locked up in themselves…The homeless down on Main  
To those who stand on empty shores…And spit against the wind  
And those who wait forever… For ships that don't come in."  
_  
_"He said it's only life's illusions…That bring us to this bar  
To pick up these old crutches…And compare each other's scars  
'Cuz the things we're calling heartache…Hell, they're hardly worth our time  
We bitch about a dollar…When there's those without a dime.  
And as he ordered one last round…He said I guess we can't complain.  
God made life a gamble…And we're still in the game."_

So here's to all the soldiers…Who have ever died in vain  
The insane locked up in themselves…The homeless down on Main  
To those who stand on empty shores…And spit against the wind  
And those who wait forever…For ships that don't come in."  


Vix glanced around at the end of her recital and didn't find a single contemptuous gaze. Everyone seemed at least to be contemplating the words she knew Sack had loved and admired. A few were dabbing away tears. From Clay she spied a nod of approval. Juice looked proud of her. She wet her lips and spoke again, "I'd like to, on behalf of the SAMCRO family thank everyone for attending tonight. Y'all bein' here means a lot to The Club family and to Miss Marti, Kipp's Mama."

She stepped aside as another person, some uniformed military man had apparently been drafted to speak a few words on that part of Kipp's life. Vix made her way back to Juice's side, receiving shoulder pats and squeezes from members along her path.

XXX

The night was coming to an end and Marti had whispered to Jaci that she would like to have a few minutes alone with her son. The young woman had nodded and left her for only a few moments to make arrangements. She returned with two men from Kipp's charter, Bobby and Chibs. Jaci motioned for Marti to follow them and together they walked to the room were Kipp laid in his black SAMCRO decorated coffin.

"We'll be right outside the doors, Marti. You take all the time you need. No one will bother you." Jaci explained with a sad smile.

"Thank you…thank you so much for everything you've done tonight and for Kipp before. He thought the world of you, Jaci."

"No need to thank me. I loved him too, Marti." Jaci gave the woman's shoulder a squeeze and started to leave the room.

A moment later, to Jaci's surprise, Chibs cleared his throat and spoke directly to Marti. "Mrs. Epps…if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to ya for a moment."

Jaci wasn't sure if she should leave them alone or stay and looked to Bobby who was at the back at the room for guidance, he just shrugged in confused indifference. She stayed put and watched as Chib struggled to find his voice, appearing nervous. Marti glanced at Jaci who gave her an assuring nod that everything was ok.

Chib swallowed hard and locked eyes with Marti. "Every Prospect…they have a Sponsor, someone who vouches for them, shows them the ropes, looks out for them. Your boy was my Prospect, he was my responsibility." His voice cracked and stared down at his hands. "He was a good kid, goofy as shite sometimes but he had a good heart." That remembrance made them all smile for a brief second. "He was a good son…loved you, talked about ya. But he was a good Son to us too, a good man. He was fierce and loyal and I was proud to call him Brother. I'm just sorry I wasn't there to protect him. "

The obvious emotion coming from Chibs was spilling over to everyone in the room. Jaci knew the guilt and pain that had been eating at Chibs and she was glad to see him finally vocalizing it…letting the crazy out so to speak. Tears stung her eyes oddly for the first time that night as Marti embraced her friend and they shared a long hug, whispering a few things before breaking the hold.

Leaving Marti to be with Kipp alone, Jaci walked toward the back of the room Chibs, holding his hand for moral support for them both. He pulled up short and shook his head at the supportive look Bobby was giving him. He was embarrassed to have choked up but felt he needed to tell Marti all that he had said in order to start making peace with the situation.

The trio stood still for a moment, each wiping their eyes. "Damnit, Chibs…I swore to myself I wasn't going to cry tonight." Jaci mumbled.

"Then you went and got all beautiful on us." Bobby added making them all finally laugh softly.

Chibs sniffed hard a few times to gain control over himself. He clapped Bobby on the shoulder and kissed the side of Jaci's head. "Ok, I'm good…let's give her some peace." The trio stepped out of the room and shut the double doors behind, standing guard outside to make sure Marti had unlimited privacy and time to tell her boy goodbye.

XXX

The wake was officially over and people had begun make their way outside into the night. Jaci now stood alone in the hallway, waiting for Marti to finish saying goodbye to her son. Bobby and Chibs had given up standing guard to go say goodbye to traveling Sons from other charters. As she waited with time to think, Jaci tried to decide if she missed Tig's presence at the wake. He had given Half Sack a lot of grief over the year the kid had been prospecting for the club. But with Tig, harassment equaled love so he was probably just as upset at losing the kid as the other guys were. She couldn't imagine Tig being an asset at the wake though…serious emotions always gave him trouble. He'd probably just be drunk and looking for a fight, which was how she predicted several of the SAMCRO guys to be later in the night.

The door behind Jaci finally opened and Marti appeared red eyed but steady. She gave the grieving mother an apologetic look and a nod. "Ready to go?"

Marti gave a nod and followed down the hall toward the front of the building. Glancing through the front glass door as she walked, Jaci could see a mix of people milling around smoking and talking. "Thank you so much for everything you've done, Jaci." Marti said quietly from behind her in the hall. "I don't know how I would have made it through tonight without you."

"Not a problem, Marti. Don't mention…" Jaci started to reply but her sentence was interrupted by the sudden loud sound of popping from outside on the lawn. For a split second, Jaci thought _fireworks?_ but when the front glass of the funeral home exploded into shards before her eyes she realized the true source of the noise…bullets…gunfire. "Get down!" Jaci yelled and ducked reflexively as she turned to see Marti standing stunned in the hallway behind her. Without hesitation, Jaci grabbed her by the arm and pulled the woman into an adjacent room out of the line of fire.

"What's going on?!" Marti breathed, obviously scared out of her mind.

Jaci didn't respond, just held up a hand to visually tell her friend to be quiet and stay still. She could only imagine the scenario outside…obviously some sort of drive by shooting and that realization made her sick.

XXX

Gunfire erupted in the night just as everyone had gathered on the front lawn and sidewalk. The distinct ripping sound of an AK-47 opened and shots rang out of the work van driving down the street. "Shit!" Juice flinched and closed his eyes at the shards of brick wall flying by. Everything was a blur around him as he rushed down the sidewalk towards the place he'd last seen Vix. She had been talking to Chucky. People were diving for cover and chaos reigned as the bullets continued to fly.

When he was able to focus, the horror nearly knocked him off his feet. He found her face down and still, so still. His head spun for a moment before he was hit from behind and tackled to the ground. He landed an empty parcel of ground with a thud and a second later his gaze caught Kozik scrambling to his knees. In a blur of activity, the Tacoma SAA was grabbing for Chucky and pulling the injured and bleeding man down to the ground, instantly applying pressure to bullet wounds.

XXX

The shooting slowed slightly as the van moved past the target of the funeral attendees. As the shock wore off enough for people to unfreeze, the return fire began. Unser and the Charming PD officers added their gunshots to the rest of the bikers shooting at the van as it drove down the street.

XXX

The firing continued for a moment more before the sound changed from rapid fire fully automatic to slower rhythmic pops. Jaci listened harder and could have sworn she heard the squeal of tires. As more pops echoed through the night, she knew that was the Sons returning fire with 9mm and .40s they were surely packing. Whatever was going on was dying down and suddenly hiding inside wasn't an option for her. Just about everyone she loved in her life were outside, exposed, on the lawn in only God knew what condition.

She stood and pointed to Marti, "You stay here." The frightened lady started to protest and tried to grab Jaci's hand, wanting her to stay inside where it was safe but Jaci pulled free. "Just stay put, Marti." Jaci breathed and took off running down the hall.

XXX

As the van driver turned the corner too fast, one shooter actually fell out of the open sliding door and landed in a heap on the street next to bikes that were parked along the curb. Everyone watched the scene as Deputy Chief Hale, who was in the area of the street where the van was headed, began taking shots at the windshield with his service revolver. People waited for a direct hit and a swerve from the van but instead the driver plowed directly into the deputy. As the van ran over Hale's body, the back tire the van crushed his skull, killing him instantly.

The van sped away into the night and people began to mill around slowly. Clay grimaced and gasped at the sight of Hale's body. Unser spotted his fallen deputy and ran toward him, with the Deputy Chief's brother Jacob doing the same thing. It was obvious that nothing could be done to save the young man and the pair stood in the street, their faces a wreck of anguished emotions.

XXX

Juice turned his focus to Vix, frantically touching her all over. "Vix! Vix! Holy Fuck, baby... talk to me!"

He turned her over, feeling for broken bones but she was intact. The humming in his ears was loud as a freight train as he looked for blood and to his horror, found it. He had to practically will his heart to keep beating and shuddered with intense relief when she opened her eyes. Juice pulled her up and into his arms, forgetting she may be injured, just thankful she was alive.

He clutched her close to him with all his strength. She was shaking so hard that Juice tightened his grip, trying to absorb some of her trembling. "You're covered in blood, baby. Are you hit? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Against his shoulder he felt her shake her head no but she seemed to shake harder. "Shh!" She snuggled more tightly against him, seeking shelter and security and if he could, he would have let her crawl right in under his skin.

As he held Vix, he tried to take in the chaotic scene around him. Chucky was shot and was bleeding badly. _She had been standing right next to that dude, the shots had missed her_. Juice thought. It was a miracle that somehow the fucker had missed hitting her. He was holding a goddamn miracle in his arms. That realization made a tremor shoot thru him and he clung to Vix as much as she clung to him. Who needed the comfort more at that moment was a toss-up.

XXX

Jaci pushed through the shattered door, slipping slightly on the sea of broken glass. The front lawn was complete chaos. The shooting had finally stopped but something was going on at the street level. She scanned the crowd as she jogged down the main path and finally spotted her sister being helped to her feet. She did a quick mental checking off of the main SAMCRO crew and sent up a silent prayer when she found them all to be ok.

On the street, Candy and a few other officers had their guns drawn on a man, directing him to get down on the ground. Jaci assumed he was one of the drive-by participants and wished they save some time and just put a bullet in the guy's head. Her attention went back to her sister. _She's standing, that's good...wait, why's there blood on her_?

"VIX!" Jaci breathed as she got closer to her sister and Juice.

"She's good, I'm good! It was Chucky…he got shot." Juice immediately explained.

Jaci frowned and looked down, realizing that Koz was applying pressure to a bullet wound in their new found friend. "Jesus, Chuck!"

She whipped her head around to try to find the nearest source of help but came up empty. Tara, a goddamn doctor, was standing in place, completely dazed. She thought of yelling at her quasi sister in law but her thoughts were interrupted by a continued screaming from on down the sidewalk. A woman she vaguely recognized as being at the clubhouse occasionally was cradling a small boy and screaming for help. The lady's arms were wrapped around the child, who was obviously her son and her hands were bloody. The poor kid had been hit.

Jaci glanced at her sister and Chuck, finding them both with the best care they could hope for at the moment. After another look to Tara didn't find any change in the doctor's mobilization, Jaci muttered, _goddamnit_, and ran to do what she could for the injured boy.

XXX

Jax found himself also in a daze after the shooting had stopped. The drive-by and subsequent hit and run murder of Hale seemed too unreal, too utterly impossible to process. He had just been paying his respects for a brother and suddenly he found himself standing in a warzone.

His eyes scanned the crowd of people, taking in the injuries and looks of horror and shock on the faces of his friends and family. He spotted his sister in law doing her best to help a mother with a child that was covered in blood, obviously shot.

_Another son…another son. _Jax thought and his brain did a violent sudden jerk, filling his mind's eye with a flood of images of his own son Abel…who was God knew where in the world at the moment. _No, no…not Abel, my boy's fine, he's fine, I just have to find him. Please…_Anguish and frustration began to boil inside of him and just as if a radio had been turned on, his ears suddenly heard the noise of an argument on the street.

He turned his head and saw the officers standing over one of the shooters. _He did this…get him. GET HIM! _Jax clenched his jaw as his rage reached a pivotal peak. He jumped down to the street level sidewalk and rushed with absolute determination to the suspect, pushing officers out of his way. At the moment, there was nothing more important than getting his hands on the asshole who had taken a solemn evening and crushed it to bits with bullets.

Jaci watched her brother in law as he grabbed the suspect, wrestled him free from the cops and began slamming punches into the guy's face. Very quickly that punishment escalated into Jax slamming the guy's head into the pavement repeatedly. The violence was gruesome but she was oddly not appalled by it. She thought back to her ''letting the crazy out' mantra from earlier in the day as she realized that right now was the most engaged she'd seen Jax since Abel was taken.

The attack ended just as quickly as it had begun. Clay, Opie and Bobby jumped down to the street level and rushed to drag Jax off of the guy. People watched in horror as the officers trained their guns not only on the now unconscious suspect but also on Jax.

XXX

After Jax had been arrested, Vix suddenly felt the need to sit down as quickly as possible. Juice hit the ground with her and she clutched him. She was certain she was choking him but he wasn't complaining and she wasn't letting go. As he rocked her in his arms, he whispered something in her ear ... something reassuring but she couldn't hear him over the thunder of her own heartbeat.

She thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She shook with terror as the memory of the feeling of the bullets whizzing by roared in her head. The loud _rata- tat- tat _of the gunfire, how she'd tried to press herself into the ground to make herself invisible. Thankfully she had had the basic survival instincts to know that getting up and running would've made her more of a target. She had willed herself to lay there still and wait for a bullet to smash into her.

At that moment she really didn't care if Juice saw what a wuss she really was. She clung to him like a life preserver knowing that just being in physical contact with him made her feel better. The sounds all around her took on a Charlie Brown-esque feel, voices sounded like "mwah mwah mwah mwah" with other sounds coming across muffled. She heard Juice muttering assurances that they were alright to some third party, yet never relinquishing his grip on her. It felt like centuries but in reality was mere minutes before the real life around them began to penetrate her cocoon. Suddenly she could distinctly make out Kozik talking.

"Come on Chuck, hang on. Help'll be here soon... you'll be alright."

She remembered Juice's earlier statement "you're covered in blood!" _Blood... Chuck... Oh God! _ She'd been standing next to Chucky. He had interestingly decided that a wake was the perfect setting to inquire about how she'd done on her Econ final, then the shooting had started. She pulled away from Juice and saw the confused look on his face. "I'm fine... this isn't my blood... It's Chucky's." Turning, she crawled the less than two feet to where Chucky sat practically in Kozik's lap. He'd been hit... Jesus Christ! She began to help aid her friend.

Juice was at her side adding his aid to the efforts. She glanced around her, taking in the horrific scene. She spotted her sister and was relieved to find her upright and active, not really remembering the fact that Jaci had checked on her right after the shooting. She couldn't see what Jaci was working frantically at doing but knowing of her pre-injured state she knew her sister was at a disadvantage. She glanced at Juice, "I'll help Tommy with Chucky. Go help my sister." At his tentative expression she repeated herself but saw he was adamantly not budging.

Seconds later Koz offered a compromise, shifting Chucky to Juice's hold. "Take him, I'll go help Jaci. I think that kid's been shot." He leveled his eyes on Vix, "Tink, you keep pressure right here."

She felt him take her hand and replace his over Chucky's wound. The blood seeping out was warm and sticky and she tried not to gag as she nodded her understanding of the task. She wanted to offer comforting words to her friend. But they seemed wrong in light of her not knowing his injuries. She was praying he'd be ok but couldn't bring herself to offer false hope. Instead she found herself advising him of how her Econ final went, as odd a conversation as she suspected could be had in their current crazy environment and situation.

XXX

Several ambulances arrived at the scene and the EMTs began their assessment of the injured. As professionals took over the boy's care, Jaci and Koz stood and back away, giving them plenty of space to work a miracle. Her gaze floated just above the drama before her and she found herself looking straight into the eyes of Marti Epps. She parted her lips to say something but Marti held up a hand and slowly shook her head. They exchanged no words only a look that spoke volumes, theirs was a crazy horror filled life and Marti wanted no part of it. She walked a few steps backwards, silently thanking Jaci and praying for her future before turning and slipping out of Jaci's field of view.

Further down the lawn, the EMTs were asking for next-of-kin information on Chucky. Quickly realizing that he had no one but the MC, Vix spoke up, dazed but sincere in proclaiming, "Chucky is my friend."

The injured oddity nodded and clarified, "Vix and me are best friends."

She gave him a smile and nodded her agreement. As he was loaded up into the ambulance, Vix squeezed his leg. "I'm going to see to the others and I'll come check on you tomorrow, okay?"

"I accept that." He replied with a weak smile and laid his head back flat on the cot.

Vix and Juice watched as the ambulanced pulled away and down the street. She turned into Juice's embrace and buried her head against his chest, trying to control her breathing as a typhoon of emotion threatened.

"Can you ride?" He asked, sensing her tension. She nodded against his chest. "Let's go home, your sister can manage your Jeep."

XXX

The brutal ending to Kipp's wake had everyone rattled but all had stayed around until after Jax was jailed and there was nothing else to be done for either Son, living or dead. After returning to the clubhouse, Jaci had decided she had been on lockdown long enough and couldn't possibly stand another night in the bunkroom. She loaded up her belongings and persuaded a very drunk Chibs to come home with her.

The Scot was hell bent on becoming a mess that night, losing Half Sack had hurt him deeply and then seeing Jax explode in a rage hadn't helped matters any. His world was effectively rocked. She wanted to get him away from the clubhouse and easy access to an endless supply of alcohol. It was a win-win for both parties in her mind, after all Tig had essentially told them to take care of each other; he just hadn't specified the location.

Jaci pulled the Jeep into the driveway at Parker Place and killed the engine. Since shifting gears in the Mustang was a painful and pretty much impossible bitch, it seemed she'd be driving the beast until her hand was healed and the cast was removed. Chibs shoved out of the passenger seat, grabbed her duffel from the floor board and headed for the front door. He was being a bit pissy about taken away from his impending bender.

"I don't need a goddamn babysitter." He grumbled as he waited for her to unlock the front door.

"Yeah, well, I do and I've elected you so fall in." Jaci replied and held the door open for him. She hoped he calmed down soon, she could feel the anger wafting off of him. It was unsettling to see him this way, he was usually the Son with a sly smile and a wink. Bobby had warned her about Chibs' drunken propensity for violence and she really didn't want holes punched in her walls.

Chibs dropped her bag in the living room and then slumped onto the couch. He gave her a hard stare then reached into the inside pocket of his cut. He cocked a defiant eyebrow at her and pulled out a flask, as if daring her to say something. She rolled her eyes at him, thinking back to the time she had played nursemaid to Tig after his wreck. Why did her couch attract cranky Sons? Or perhaps the better question was _why was SHE attracted to said Sons._

Jaci walked over to the couch, her eyes locked on Chibs the entire time. She reached down and took the flask from his hand and surprised him by taking a long pull. The stunt was purposeful: the quicker he finished the flask, the quicker he would be done drinking since she didn't have any good alcohol in her house. She figured she might as well help him to the goal of an empty container. Lord knew her day had been equally bad.

As he took the flask back from her, his expression softened a little. She wasn't the enemy but he was so pissed off and hurt he didn't know what to do with himself. "Sorry, J…I'm just…"

"I know…me too." She replied then nodded down the hallway. "But if we're drinking, let's do it in bed. I need to elevate my damn ankle…stupid thing is swelling up."

XXX

After they had arrived back to the apartment, Juice and Vix had quickly showered and settled into bed. They laid in comfortable silence, intertwined for a very long time. With the shock of the violent night receding, Vix thought to the violent night she had missed, when Abel had been taken. Suddenly she needed to know every possible detail of what happened to Abel, what they knew now, etc. She broke the silence, "I know you're gonna only tell me what you think you should, what I need to know. And believe me, I know my place Jean and I'm ok with a semi-opaque protective veil, but this one time I need the hard truths. What happened, what we've been told, what we know, what we're going to do, how we plan to do it, what we need to get it done, and how I can help. Right now my brain is running wild and worst case scenarios, bat shit crazy retaliations and soul crushingly putting us in Jax's place."

"Please don't do that to yourself."

"I can't stop it... we're having a baby, Juice... and our nephew just got kidnapped. It's been happening since Tig broke the news and I've been keeping it together on the outside and silently falling apart on the inside. I was so freaked out I was _this_ close to spewing the news to Kozik."

He kept quiet the fact that he'd almost told Tig too. "Listen, I will give you the arrow straight truth but first I need a promise from you." He pursed his lips, held up a finger and gave her a pointed look. "I'm not asking for your discretion. I trust you to know what I tell you goes no further than possibly your sister. The day I need to extract _that_ promise from you will crush me. No, I need you to promise me you're gonna calm down.

Before she could protest, he explained, "I'm not saying your reactions aren't spot on due to the circumstances but the amount of stress we carry under normal circumstances is massive. And obviously these days ain't no where near normal. I can't tell you how I know but I just...I sense it that this shit is gonna get worse before it gets even remotely better. Stress is no good for you, no good for the baby..."

She suddenly reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand, giving him a smile and a kiss.

He continued. "I want you to hang your worries and stress and shit on ME, alright? I can take it. I'll carry that load for you, ok? I need to you to promise me that you're gonna take care of yourself, of both of you."

Vix nodded and grinned surprisingly, "You want me to be Zen, Juicey?"

He couldn't help but grin and chuckle in return. He nodded, "Yeah. I want you to be sooo Zen."

"Ok. I promise."

He nodded his satisfaction and sobered up, the light moment gone. "Ok, so where would you like me to start? About Abel?"

She blew out a breath. Tears were brimming, happy mixed with sad, "We're gonna get him back, right?"

Juice looked her directly in the eye and replied, "We won't stop until we find him, good outcome or bad."

Vix sniffled and digested the information. "How far did Cameron get?"

He thought of the meeting with LaRoy and learning of the fake travel documents under the name Timothy O'Dell, finding the boat, discovering that it had been traded for fast cash. "We think he's local but he's getting things arranged to jump the pond. We really don't know any more. Club's got a meeting with Jimmy O tomorrow after Sack's funeral."

"Thank you." Her sigh turned into a yawn.

"You need sleep."

She nodded, didn't protest the statement but she did take his hand and prompt him to wrap up with her. "So do you... and I sleep best when I'm with you. Come help me be Zen, Juicey."

XXX

Jaci had changed into her token lounge pants and tank top. After being told it was NOT acceptable to sleep naked as he usually did, Chibs compromised. He slipped off his cut and kicked off his boots and socks, leaving him in jeans and a t-shirt. He stacked a few pillows up and helped Jaci get situated before settling in next to her, their backs leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"To Kipp…forever our Half Sack." Chibs said and raised the flask upward in a small toast. He took a swig and passed it to Jaci who did the same. "Goddamn…what a shit end to a wake."

She could only manage a grunt in response, not wanting to even think about the night's events. She rubbed her hand over her cast in an unconscious gesture of discomfort.

"Ya hand hurtin'?"

"Yeah…I'm trying to lay off the pills because I think I could grow to like them…really like them." She replied quietly. Until it was empty, they shared sips from the flask and comfortable silence for a long while, each of them mulling over worries.

Chibs cleared his throat and leaned over to rummage through his cut that was hanging from the bedpost. "Mind if I light up?"

"Go for it." She replied without hesitation. Normally she didn't allow smoking in the house but had been a horrible day, the rules could be damned. It wasn't like a few smokes would ruin her house or anything. Chibs pulled a lighter and a joint free of his cut and fired up. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of the pot…maybe she'd have to burn an extra candle or two to get the smell out.

After a few puffs and the whiskey ebbing and flowing, Chibs was calming down. Lying in Jaci's bed was a huge distraction and had his anger had mellowed. He was honestly glad for her intervention, he didn't like the dark places he went sometimes when he got down too far in the bottle. It was good to be pulled back from the ledge before he did any real damage.

He glanced over at her and gave her a small smile then tried to pass the joint to her. "Take a hit."

She smiled back but shook her head. "I'm good."

He frowned and pushed the joint her way once more. Again she declined, pushing his hand away but he was very persistent. "Go on, do it."

"Chibs."

"Do it…it'll be good for ya." He insisted as he took another long drag and held in the smoke.

Jaci started to protest but suddenly the fight was gone from her. _Why the hell not? Jesus, maybe it will mellow my ass out, help me sleep instead of waking up all the time with nightmares of being locked in that damn trunk again. _She glanced shyly at her friend, "Ok…I'll do it but I don't really know…I've never really…"

"Never what?" He asked, confused then it dawned on him. "You never smoked pot before?!" He could see the answer on her face and he snorted a laugh. "Oh Jaysus…you're a pot virgin! What the hell you been waitin' on?!"

"Hey damnit…don't laugh at me!" Jaci snapped. "Unlike some of you people, I've always had a REAL job, one that required passing a drug test and I had a junkie for a mom. I got locked in on a _drugs are bad_ mentality and I didn't make any exceptions."

"YOU are never gonna be a junkie, J." He assured with a stern look in his eyes. "Here." He handed her the joint and watched her intently.

"Ok…could you not STARE at me like that?" She replied. "And don't laugh when I choke. I've seen this done a million times but I'm probably gonna screw it up." She took a small hit from the joint and held her breath dramatically, giving him an _are you happy now_ look.

He smirked and coached her. "Hold it…hold it." She did as instructed but finally her lungs protested and she was racked with a coughing fit which had them both cracking up.

She regained her composure and immediately ducked her eyes and slammed her hand over her mouth. "Oh, it feels wrong to laugh. I mean, with everything that's going on."

"Shh shh shh. Its laugh or cry, J. We've all done enough crying." He replied seriously then smiled a devilish smile. He took another hit and then handed it off to her. "Here…go again. Breathe in deeper this time."

She grinned shyly but gave it a go. She was oddly happy to be having the experience with Chibs. Sure Tig would have be thrilled to share a joint with her but she would have been embarrassed to do it for the first time with him. Tig had her beat in experience with a LOT of things in life and she had struggled constantly with understanding why he'd even venture into being with someone so vanilla like herself. It was such a Junior High notion, but she had always thought she needed every advantage of being cool around him. Choking on your first pot toke was _not _cool but Chibs didn't mind, he thought it was awesome and she loved him for that.

They talked about the finer points of smoking pot for a few minutes and Jaci felt the effects start to blossom inside of her. "Ooooh." She said suddenly, feeling a tremendous _gearing down_ of sorts. A feeling of deep relaxation spread through her like a ripple across a lake. She laughed softly. "Oh I like that very much."

"Told ya."

"If I grow to like this, will you be my dealer?"

"Absolfuckinglutely." He replied. "Ride the wave, babe."

She complied and sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, the room dimly light by the lamp next to the bed. A beautiful mellow numbness grew within her, erasing the pain in her broken hand and she enjoyed it for a few long minutes. But then a question popped in her head, one that suddenly seemed of paramount importance to discuss. ""Do you think Abel's alive?"

Chibs groaned, "Oh you're gonna be a thinker." She raised an eyebrow, not understanding his annoyance so he explained. "Drugs hit everybody different…with pot I've seen people freak out, get all paranoid, some just drift off to sleep, some just stare and some, like you, get a feeling like they can solve all the world's problems suddenly; like the universe just opens up."

"I DO feel like that." Jaci answered, awed by his analysis. "I just feel really smart and calm right now. So let's hear it…is Abel alive? Everybody keeps saying OF COURSE he is...but I don't want any bullshit. What do you think?"

Chibs might have given her hell for being loopy but he was drunk and feeling rather floaty himself. He waved her over to him and she snuggled up against him as he wrapped an arm around her. He thought about her question for a moment and stared at the ceiling as he answered. "Two ways about it…_maybe_ we've put so much bad shit out in the world over the years, that this is our punishment and he's gone. But then _maybe_ he's been taken for a bigger reason. Him being gone is healin' things, J. The club had been fallin' apart but now we got a focus, we're together again. Its slow, but we're realizing what's really important. Maybe us learnin' that lesson and fixin' ourselves…that'll led to him being ok and us gettin' him back. But really on a whole…with all the crap the kid's been through, it seems like a shite plan for God to just snuff him out. He's alive."

She considered his answer and nodded, "'That sounds good...and I want to believe that with

every fiber of my damn being. But just when I think I'm hopeful, I think back to what my Daddy used to always say when something bad would happen. He'd say, "Life's not fair...ain't even supposed to be." So that makes me think that he's right and sometimes bad shit just HAPPENS and what if Abel being taken is that sort of bad shit? What if it doesn't work out? I mean...in case you haven't noticed, I tend to be waaaay too practical. I can find a hole with most things philosophical. So your whole, _everything happens for a reason_ theory is dodgy to me."

Chibs listened to her response and mulled it over before asking, "Wasn't your da a huge asshole?"

Jaci snorted, "Well...yeah, kinda."

"Well, there ya go." Chibs retorted but then a minute later added, "But let's look at it your way, Cameron said a Son for a son. Had every opportunity to kill Abel...coulda just done it right then and there but he didn't. Tara said he was crying holding Abel. Cam's not gonna kill him...worst case, he's gonna KEEP him. That's not philosophical bullshit there...that's practical FACTS."

She frowned but had to admit that Chibs was right. Cameron could have taken his 'revenge', however misguided, but he didn't. And there hadn't been any ransom notices; Cameron so far wasn't trying to GET anything for Abel. Hell, maybe he was looking for a replacement Son.

"And ya wanna know anoder fact?" Chibs asked and Jaci nodded against him. "We're

gonna find Abel...and good or bad, we're bringing him home. I promise ya that."

Another long silence washed over them and they rode the wave comfortably intertwined with each other. Jaci laid on her back next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, playing with her hair. She moved her good hand up and gave his hand a squeeze, a silent thank you for the calm moment. He kissed the side of her head in response and left his hand intertwined with hers.

The gestures were intimate but not uncomfortable to the pair. They had nearly hooked up months ago but the attempt had been ill advised. The night hadn't damaged their friendship though, they had moved on without a hitch and that ability had built an odd type of respect for each other. As Chibs held her, he couldn't help but think back to earlier in the night and the gun riddled violence at the wake. "You scared the shite out of me at the wake."

She frowned and looked over at him, confused. He explained, "Didn't know where you were when the shootin' started. If anything would have happened to you…"

"Chibs…don't do that." She replied, hearing the guilt in his voice. "I'm not your responsibility."

"You are…until Tig gets back. But even after that…you know I…"

"I know." Jaci said quietly. "I worry about you too." As they faced each other, she leaned her forehead against his, feeling him roll on his side and put a hand on her hip.

She couldn't deny she had been shaken up by the shooting as well. It was sobering to think that a split second decision to move this way or that could have cost them their lives. The lack of control over her life was beginning to reach suffocating proportions. Suddenly the need to be in charge of what was happening to her emotions, to her body was of paramount importance. She couldn't stand another second of emotional disarray or weakness, she wanted _control_ and knew the surefire way to get it.

She kissed him without explanation or any subtle warning and felt his hand grip her hip tighter. As she broke the kiss a second later, she opened her eyes to judge his reaction and saw exactly what she wanted to see reflect in his eyes, _lust_. "How are your breaks?"

"Gettin' worse by the minute." He breathed, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

"Good." She replied simply, kissing him again as a rush of positive adrenaline spread through her veins for the first time in a long while. There was no panic, no fighting for her life, no fear for others, just a determined pursuit of pleasure.

Chibs found the will tap his brakes ever so slightly and broke their kiss, looked intently into her eyes. Never one to break rules and mess with another's Old Lady, he need to make sure of where Jaci and Tig stood officially. It was hard to tell with that pair. "You're single? Completely single?"

She nodded sadly, "I'm completely alone." Satisfied with her answer, Chib rushed full speed ahead. As their kiss deepened, Jaci rolled and pushed him onto his back, climbing on top of him. He grunted with satisfaction as she settled her weight on him. Although her move left little for misinterpretation, he stopped kissing her back just long enough to ask another question, "Is this the pot?"

"This is a lot of things." She answered quietly.

That was all the explanation he needed. He gripped her head with both his hands, his fingers lost in her hair as he pulled her back down on him. For the next few minutes, they were lost in a blur of kissing, grinding and touching. Somehow they managed to get her tank and lounge pants off without moving from his laid back position. For a brief second, he watched her face twinge with self-consciousness as she sat naked except for her panties on top of him. Her eyes darted to her black cast, in her mind an instant thrill kill.

He looked up at her firm beautiful body, reaching up to run his hands over her breasts as he whispered, "That cast's the last thing I'm lookin' at, luv." Her mouth twitched to form a slight smile and he sat up, pulling her hips tight against his. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he leaned his face down, taking the nipple of her left breast into his mouth. He sucked twice and then bit ever so slightly. The move made her gasp and grind down into him. He continued for a few seconds more until he had them both wanting more.

Keeping her in his arms, he rolled to his right, lying her on her back. Under normal circumstances, her peeling off his clothes would have been hot but given her broken hand, the task was impossible for her. Thankfully, he took charge of the situation without a word, saving her any embarrassment. As she watched with growing anticipation, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor before pulling out a condom from his wallet and then shucking off his jeans.

The contrasting physical characteristics between Chibs and Tig were obvious but not disappointing. Jaci was used to Tig's more chiseled muscle tone but Chibs was just as formidable with his smooth and solid tattooed body and at the moment, she wanted every inch of him. She let her eyes wander over the array of tattoos on his chest as he knelt on the bed, her legs snaked to either side of his. Her heart beat faster as he held the condom pack in his teeth, giving her a lopsided grin as he reached out and pulled her panties down off her hips.

With the final barrier gone between them, he slipped the condom on and leaned over her, whispering, "You are fuckin' beautiful." As he ran a hand down her stomach and around to grip her ass, she lifted her hips to try and meet him but he shook his head. "First one's yours." He moved to lay down and motioned for her to get on top.

A split second flash of insecurity hit Jaci and her rational mind tried to slam on the brakes but by then she was literally aching with the need to feel him inside of her. If she could stamp out any brutal comparisons to Tig surely he could refrain from sizing her up against any past crow eaters. She moaned as slid down gently onto him. "Shiiiiit." He felt so good she shuddered slightly.

"Jesus fuck." Chibs breathed, his eyes half closing from the sensation as she started to move slowly on him, settling in, finding a comfortable position. He opened his eyes wide after a moment. He had wanted her for so long he figured it best to pay the utmost attention. He was soon glad he did because reality was definitely topping anything he had dreamed up in his head.

After pulling herself up and along the length of him several times with almost painful slowness, she found a steady rhythm. She gave up on trying to kiss him or even look at him, she was too focused on the sensation, on the chase of the release. The feeling of complete control of her body, over _his _body was intoxicating. Her breathing steadily increased until panting was all that she could manage.

"Come on…goddamnit…mmmm…come on." Chibs encouraged. He had promised her the first orgasm but she didn't find her way there pretty soon he was going to have to go back on his word.

Seconds later she hit the home stretch, biting her bottom lip. Her senses heightened as her release built higher and higher. "Fuck…fuck…Chibs…oh fuck."

She came with a rebel yell that made Chibs grin. He gave her a minute to come down from the high and then mused, "I knew you'd be a screamer."

"That wasn't a _scream_." Jaci corrected as she tried to catch her breath but he didn't give her the chance.

"You're right…let's work on that." He retorted as he rolled and gained the top position.

XXX

The late night found Clay passed out on the couch at the clubhouse. He had quickly found he didn't much care for his house when Gemma wasn't in it.

Bobby fell asleep in his Barcalounger at his house watching an Elvis movie marathon.

In his jail cell across town, Jax paced the floor thinking of his lost son, longing to hold him again.

Kozik slept face down on a bed at the clubhouse, exhaustion from his wild protection run finally hitting him fully.

After making sure both parties had fully enjoyed the chaste hookup, Chibs and Jaci showered and passed out in her bed. For the first time since Abel's taking, Jaci didn't dream of the dreaded trunk, she didn't dream at all.

Tara was perhaps the loneliest of the crew that night. She laid in bed at Jax's house and mulled over a slew of decisions that needed to be made about her life, her future. Jax had spent the last week pushing her away and now it was time to decide if she was going to follow suit. No one would blame her if she pulled up stakes and walked away from Jax and Charming. They lived a violent life that didn't seem headed for a positive change any time soon. She had a million reasons to leave and really just a few reasons to stay. Jax and Abel, she loved them completely and utterly and had to smile at thought of them meeting her other reason to stay…the one that only she knew about.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, she knew she was staying and standing firmly by Jax's side, whether he wanted her there or not. They would get Abel back and then try to make sense of their crazy family they were about to expand.

Vix was sound asleep, early pregnancy and endless stress had taken their toll and now being safe and content by Juice's side, she surrender her fight against exhaustion. Juice was wide awake. He normally ran on very little sleep and tonight his brain would not turn off. He glanced at Vix and smiled, she was killing his arm but it wasn't about to move even an inch, not willing to risk waking her.

He studied her body by the moonlight that streamed in from the attic skylight in his apartment. He knew every inch of her body and there were definite super subtle signs of its double occupancy. He doubted anybody else would notice just yet especially with their minds elsewhere but this wasn't the kind of thing that stayed secret long. Not that he was ashamed, he was as proud as he was freaked the hell out. He had no idea what kind of father he'd be. Genetics were kind of stacked against him, but he'd been repeatedly told that nurture verses nature played a larger role. At the very least what he'd lived through in his early life gave him a real fucking good example of what kind of father NOT to be.

Vix shifted in her sleep and nuzzled closer against him. As he palmed her hip and forced his eyes to close, he tried to will himself to find some sleep. The dawn would bring a whole new day of drama laden shit and he needed to be on his game. His family needed him.


End file.
